Introduction

Students need to see numbers at work in the world they live in, if only to answer their persistent question: “Why do I have to learn this?” But it can be both difficult and time-consuming to find middle school-level problems that demonstrate how people actually use mathematical thinking in concrete settings. Our aim in this publication is to offer such problems and projects for your students.

In the section Real Numbers in Real Life, we offer scenarios that connect mathematics to questions that touch the world of the middle school student. Besides their real-world context, these activities challenge students to deepen their understanding of numbers — especially fractions, decimals, and percents. Another section, Number Skills, concentrates almost entirely on equivalent representations of these numbers as well as practice in computation and estimation. These activities appear in game formats, as most likely to engage students in the practice they need.

Some numbers have become part of our common language — the boiling and freezing points of water or pi, for example — and we introduce them in Famous Numbers. You can connect your students’ new numbers skills to other disciplines with the ideas in Projects. A section on careers offers insights into the use of mathematics in various jobs. The information and activities may open students to the professional possibilities available to them through their knowledge of mathematics.

In the final section, NCTM Standard: Number and Operations Standard, we discuss how the aim of this publication aligns with the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.

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by Terese Herrera

Terry Herrera taught math several years at middle and high school levels, then earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education. She is a resource specialist for the Middle School Portal. Please email any comments to: msp@msteacher.org

There's More! You'll know when new math or science publications are posted on the NSDL Middle School Portal by requesting free email notices at http://msteacher.org/registration.aspx. Don't forget to browse the Math Pathway every once in a while to find a wealth of resources for your teaching.

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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.