If students are asked, "What is the world water crisis?" how would they respond? In the authors precalculus classes, this question is often met with blank stares and students avoiding eye contact. Many students are unaware of the world water crisis--what it is, why it is, or who it affects. Even fewer realize the utility of trigonometry…

Story problems are a part of most mathematics curricula and are sometimes used as writing exercises in mathematics classrooms. Such writing exercises may include requiring students to rewrite story problems in their own words, using language that is familiar to them, or rewriting story problems using simpler number facts. The current emphasis on…