Explores what is important when choosing a mathematics word problem and when modifying it to suit particular students' backgrounds and cultures. For example, potentially good problems have multiple entry and exit points which can have several right answers, blending of different mathematical ideas, linkages to problems in other situations, and…

Students investigate the concept of motion by making simple paper airplanes and flying them in the classroom. Students are introduced to conversion factors to calculate various speeds. Additional activities include rounding decimal numbers, estimating, finding averages, making bar graphs, and solving problems. Offers ideas for extension such as…

An activity for grades 6-10 designed to allow students to explore a hundred chart to discover patterns is presented. Discussed are materials, objectives, and procedures. Three worksheets with answers are provided, and an extension activity is suggested. (CW)

Three studies involving 44 learning-disabled junior high students assessed the impact of strategy instruction in individual, small group, and whole class instruction in one knowledge domain: algebra. The three studies are contrasted, outcome data are compared, and the issue of generality-specificity in strategy instruction is examined. (JDD)

Bringing the practice of knowing mathematics in school closer to knowing mathematics within the discipline was studied with 18 fifth graders. Student activities in asserting and examining hypotheses were contrasted with conventional school mathematics activities. (SLD)

Presents a cooperative-learning lesson in which high school students visit stations equipped with different tools to establish the midpoint of a Pixy Stix, a brand of candy-filled straw. Provides solutions for two potential stations, suggestions to extend the activity, and two activity worksheets. (MDH)

The Internet provides a resource accessible to students for solving problems and satisfying information needs. Describes how students can use e-mail and the NASA Spacelink, Geographic Name Server, and Weather Underground databases. Appendices provide internet addresses and selected state telecommunications networks. Sample student inquiries are…

This study, involving 30 elementary students with learning disabilities, found that students performed significantly better on mathematics tests given using a computer than by paper and pencil. It found no differences among variations of computer-assisted instruction, with either static or animated pictures and either utilizing or not utilizing a…

Children's literature can provide a context in which young children can explore mathematical concepts in a meaningful way. This article highlights how young students in first-grade classrooms used stories about their families and pets to create and solve mathematical problems in a motivating, meaningful way. (SM)

Described are activities within extended problem-solving settings which allow middle school mathematics students, particularly at-risk students, to determine applications for a wide range of mathematical processes and concepts. Emphasis is on reality-based projects which often require more than one step as preparation for future consumer…

Connections between science and mathematics are emphasized in a series of activities related to the heart. Worksheets designed for multiple grade levels investigate (1) How Big Is Your Heart? (levels K-2); (2) Every Beat of Your Heart (levels 3-4); (3) What's the Beat? (level 5-6), and Heartifacts (level 7-8). Extensions of the activities are…

Presents a hands-on mathematics task that can be investigated experimentally to produce a sequence of numbers. Describes ways to extrapolate values of the table of numbers by formulating and verifying a conjecture related to the pattern in the numbers. (MDH)

Discusses the first session and events from other sessions of a mathematics circle consisting of the author and four preschool children. Presents discussions that ensued with the children when asked to solve problems related to Piaget's stages of cognitive development. (MDH)

This review features new examples of using the computer relative to college-level mathematics to enhance pedagogy, solve problems, and model real-life situations. Included is a LOGO program that can be used to create and to stimulate subsequent investigations of spirolaterals, those figures generated by repeatedly drawing basic loops. (JJK)

Researchers investigated the effects of metacognitive mathematics instruction on low-ability, mainly Hispanic, sixth graders. Lack of linguistic, strategic, and procedural knowledge was the major source of errors in solving problems. Pre- and posttesting indicated students receiving metacognitive instruction progressed as problem solvers and…