Emperor penguins, the largest of all the penguin species, attain heights of nearly four feet and weigh up to 99 pounds. Many students are not motivated to learn mathematics when textbook examples contain largely nonexistent contexts or when the math is not used to solve significant problems found in real life. This article's project explores how…

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

Discusses zeroes at the ends of decimal fractions representing measurements or real-world applications of numbers including precision, variance, and classroom applications. (YDS)

This article discusses mathematics in terms of how Japanese students learn. (Contains 11 figures.)

Explains how middle school mathematics topics are often taught as separate, discrete topics without a unifying thread. Discusses the importance of proportionality as a concept with the potential to untie, relate, and clarify many important, complex middle grades ideas into a cohesive theme. (YDS)

This article describes an activity that incorporates 9 of the 10 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards. Students explore a stacking garden containing multiple layers. The garden allows students to focus on finding the amount of border material needed and the amount of space available for planting. The problem balances the…

Describes a professional development program for upper elementary and middle school teachers that includes a sequence of four activities designed to foster improved understanding of the connections among measurement, ratio, scale, and proportion. (YDS)

Describes a professional development project to increase teachers' understanding of proportional reasoning, the thinking patterns associated with proportional reasoning, and the applications of proportional reasoning across the middle-grades curriculum. (YDS)

This article describes an activity in measurement and geometry in which sixth-grade students explore the volume and surface area of a donut. Through calculation, creative thinking, and discovery, the students enhanced their geometric vocabulary and reasoning. (Contains 9 figures.)

This article connects three disciplines while exploring how students computed tons of food consumed by both locusts and people. Included with this article are two worksheets "How Much Does a Locust Eat?" and "Can You Eat Those Locusts?". (Contains 3 figures.)