Background Information for Teachers

Topics under the Number and Operations strand of the Principles and Standards of School Mathematics (NCTM) can be surprisingly complex. For those teachers who would like to explore number systems in depth, an online workshop heads this list of resources. The other sites offer a treasure house of math activities from which to choose those most suited for your classroom.

In addition, you may want to check out the book Navigating Through Number and Operations in Grades 6-8. Published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, it contains well-developed activities in which students explore and consolidate their understanding of fractions, decimals, and percents, and are introduced to proportionality. An accompanying CD-ROM contains all handouts as well as applets for the activities. You will find ordering information as well as the Table of Contents and Preface online at http://my.nctm.org/eBusiness/ProductCatalog/product.aspx?ID=12875

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Learning Math: Number and Operations http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/learningmath/number/

Created for K-8 teachers, this online workshop examines core topics — understanding numbers, representations, relationships, and number systems. Videos as well as immediate feedback on problems enliven this web-based course. Three sessions that relate particularly to the middle school curriculum are: Fractions and Decimals, Rational Numbers and Proportional Reasoning, Fractions, Percents, and Ratios.

New York Times Daily Lesson Plan: Mathematics http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/mathematics.html

Each of these interdisciplinary lesson ideas grows out of a New York Times article and connects mathematics to real-world issues and statistics. The mathematics activities include, for example, examining graphs, designing a playground, and using census data from various years to create an illustrated time line. MSP full record

CIESE: K-12 Online Classroom Projects http://www.ciese.org/currichome.html

These interdisciplinary projects, designed by the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE), can enhance the science and mathematics curriculum through compelling use of the Internet. Teachers and students throughout the world can collaborate on projects and use real-time data available from the Internet. An excellent resource for middle school and high school classes! MSP full record

Data Analysis: As Real World as It Gets http://msteacher.org/epubs/math/math3/math.aspx

Data analysis shows the power and influence of numbers when they are collected, analyzed, and displayed graphically. The digital resources offered here range from individual problems to full projects, all offering opportunities for students to work with real-world numbers. MSP full record

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Copyright October 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.