It is beneficial for students to discover intuitive strategies, as opposed to the teacher presenting strategies to them. Certain proportional reasoning tasks are more likely to elicit intuitive strategies than other tasks. The strategies that students are apt to use when approaching a task, as well as the likelihood of a student's success or…

The rapid growth of digital technology, including the worldwide adoption of mobile and embedded computers, places new demands on K-grade 12 educators and their students. Young people should have an opportunity to learn the technical knowledge of computer science (e.g., computer programming, mathematical logic, and discrete mathematics) in order to…

For most students, algebra seems like a totally different subject than the number topics they studied in elementary school. In reality, the procedures followed in arithmetic are actually based on the properties and laws of algebra. Algebra should be a logical next step for students in extending the proficiencies they developed with number topics…

Students' success in solving problems involving proportional reasoning is an indication that they have moved beyond additive thinking to multiplicative thinking. However, classroom work indicates that many students do not reason proportionally in many practical contexts. The authors discuss a particular task that reveals students'…

Middle school students' mathematical understanding benefits from connecting mathematics to other content areas in the curriculum. This month's activity explores the issue of the scarcity of freshwater, a natural resource (activity sheets are included). This activity concentrates on the critical areas mentioned in the Common Core State…

This article describes an activity done by eighth grade students using data that was gathered from sun-shadow observations. (Contains 5 figures.)

This article describes an innovative lesson that uses the biography "Barbara McClintock: Alone in her Field" (Heiligman, 1994) to integrate genetics, literature, and mathematics as a context for students to investigate patterns on Indian corn. This two-day lesson requires students to estimate, collect data, identify and describe patterns,…

This article explores how students learned to measure tall objects using a clinometer and some basic calculations. Such activities provide opportunities for students and teachers to learn the usefulness of linking mathematics content and science content to real-world problem-solving situations. (Contains 7 figures.)

This article provides the readers with a hands-on activity that incorporates measuring skills and Process Standards while investigating a linear function that is easily generated in any classroom. (Contains 6 figures.)

Presents an activity to help students begin to seek patterns and make mathematical predictions by using a counting game. Contains reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

A classroom activity analyzes the mathematics found in Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, the true story of Ernest Shackleton and the 27-man crew who all survived a shipwreck at the South Pole. (Contains 3 figures.)

This article describes a unit of instruction designed to promote a conceptual understanding of area in sixth-grade students. Students used benchmarks to estimate the areas of real houses and calculated the areas of houses based on building plans. (Contains 7 figures.)

This article discusses the importance of measurement in providing a foundation for mathematical study and how measurement can be integrated with other mathematical strands. (Contains 1 table.)

Examines the use of a ratio table for developing students' conceptual understanding of rational number. The ratio table is an alternative to cross-multiplication and can utilize both additive and multiplicative strategies. It organizes numbers and keeps track of operations and results, which aids the teacher in assessment. (MLB)