Presents ideas and activities designed to integrate poetry into the third-grade mathematics curriculum. Topics discussed include estimating, formulating and solving, comparing, and extending. Lists 11 poems that can be used. (10 references) (MKR)

Presented is an activity where students determine the multiplication tables of groups of small order. How this can be used to help develop an understanding of the concept of group isomorphism is explained. (KR)

The recursive model presented here involves the study of drugs in the bloodstream and their subsequent elimination from the body. Both a basic and a more realistic model are presented and discussed in terms of an algebraic approach, a recursive approach, the graphical representation, and other extensions and connections particularly with models…

Presented is the solution to a quadratic expression and a variety of comments regarding this situation and implications for problem-solving instruction. A strategy for approaching similar problem-solving situations is discussed. (CW)

Analyzes the notion of structuring resources and their role in shaping mathematical activity. Examines ways in which nurses conceptualize ratio and proportion problems and provides a case study of two nurses discussing conflicting strategies when monitoring the fluid balance of a patient. Draws out some implications for the design of viable…

Introduces mathematical guessing games to teach algebra that motivate students in learning mathematics by stimulating their curiosity and problem-solving abilities. (ASK)

Presents a project in which grade 1 children use diary writing as a link between home and school. Describes how they used problem solving and problem posing as part of normal classroom and home activities. (ASK)

Richmond (Vermont) Elementary School offers a workshop in elementary-school mathematics for parents. By refreshing their math skills, parents are better able to help their children at home. Many parents who learned math through rote memorization do not understand current approaches to problem solving, such as drawing pictures, making charts,…

Performance on mathematics word problems was compared for 197 students (grades 3-8) with mild disabilities and 210 nondisabled students. Students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than typical students. Significant effects were also evident for grade and type of mathematical operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication,…

Devised a model that hypothesized that students, in discriminating relevant information in mathematical story problems, search for values of semantic categories that match those in the problem. Two experiments assessed the validity of the model. Results indicated that the model was an accurate predictor of discrimination performance for successful…

This article illustrates students' efforts to resolve an apparent discrepancy between their self-generated solutions and the answer obtained using the division algorithm for fractions. (Contains 5 figures.)

Working from Carolyn Kieran's categorization of "arithmetic" and "algebraic" thinkers, the article describes one eighth-grade "arithmetic" thinker's progress as she attempts to solve one- and two-step equations.

The New Zealand Ministry of Education has introduced a Numeracy Project for students aged 5-14 years in selected schools. The project encourages the adoption of flexible strategies for solving numerical problems, and discourages reliance on standard computational algorithms. One potential benefit of the project is that the methods students acquire…

The call for educational reform has caused mathematics curriculum, instruction, and assessment to come under both professional and public scrutiny. The three elements contesting for leadership in assessment reform are the conventional testing agencies, reformers led by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and political agencies…

This guide is designed to help classroom teachers implement the Alabama Course of Study: Mathematics K-12. It is inclusive also of the objectives tested by the Stanford Achievement Tests and the Alabama Basic Competency Tests. One characteristic of the curriculum guide is that it clearly states what students should learn in each grade level. These…