Quadratic modeling problems are commonplace in high school mathematics courses; they typically situate quadratic patterns of change and their corresponding parabolic graph within real-world contexts. Traditional approaches to this type of problem lend themselves to making connections across different representations (e.g., Garofalo and Trinter…

"Who has been to Dairy Queen® and purchased a Blizzard?®" Ms. Bosetti asked her students. During the summer, Bosetti had seen many of her former and future students at the local Dairy Queen enjoying Blizzard desserts and wondered, "Which Blizzard size is the best value?" She used this context for a ratios and proportions task…

Linear functions are an important part of the middle school mathematics curriculum. Students in the middle grades gain fluency by working with linear functions in a variety of representations (NCTM 2001). Presented in this article is an activity that was used with five eighth-grade classes at three different schools. The activity contains 15 cards…

How can the key concept of equivalent expressions be addressed so that students strengthen their representational fluency with symbols, graphs, and numbers? How can research inform the synergistic use of both paper-and-pencil analysis and computer algebra systems (CAS) in a classroom learning environment? These and other related questions have…

Ms. Beyer's first graders have been working for several weeks on solving problems that encourage the use of such multiple representations as ten frames and number lines. The class is using Math Trailblazers, a National Science Foundation-supported elementary school math curriculum developed to reflect recent reform efforts in mathematics…

Teaching students to collect data to answer questions is an important life skill that will serve them well throughout their adult lives. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the implementation of an action research project in a fifth grade resource classroom. Students with mild disabilities were taught how to conduct surveys using three…

Numerical tables of mathematical functions are in continual demand by scientists and engineers for preliminary surveys of problems before programming for computing machines. This handbook was designed to provide scientific investigators with a comprehensive and self-contained summary of the mathematical functions that arise in physical and…

Presents a real-life example of mathematical modeling in which a medical company asks for help in solving a warehouse-inventory problem. Uses charts, graphs, and computers. (MKR)

This document contains reproducible black and white materials for teaching about the 1990 United States census. There are maps, charts, and graphs of population projections by region; historical census data; projections of populations changes; world population; minority population figures; age charts; number of dependents; housing units;…

Presents an activity on linear functions that is designed to help students become familiar with the graphs, equations, and tables of these functions while focusing on issues related to cost, revenue, and profit. (ASK)

This document is a compilation of illustrative maps, tables, and graphs that depict several features of the Soviet Union, including: size, population, trade, energy, industries, demographic statistics, and food and agriculture. Designed to be used by classroom teachers, it provides a rich resource of information for teaching about the U.S.S.R. (DB)

Uses student reading interests as a context for data collection, and asks them to represent their findings in different ways using tables, bar graphs, pictographs, and pie graphs. (ASK)

Ten issues of a monthly social studies resource, each with a different topical focus, are included in this document. The issues focus on: the American family; the environment; the developing world; U.S. and world population; U.S. and world energy; the arms race; employment and housing; world product and trade; social programs in the federal…

Gives a multi-lesson project exploring multiplication arrays. Students are given opportunities to model multiplication tables with rectangular arrays, develop and extend ideas about patterns, organize and present visual patterns symbolically in tables, and represent visual patterns graphically. (MKR)

Outlines a demonstration lesson showing third graders how to make and interpret graphs. Includes descriptions of purpose, vocabulary, and learning activities in which students graph numbers of students with dogs at home and analyze the contents of M&M candy packages by color. Argues process helps students understand large amounts of abstract…