Connecting to the Wider World
It is through an integrated unit of study that students can see measurement and data analysis
in the context of science, or improve their sense of shape, symmetry, and similarity through the study
of art. Applying mathematics to other subject areas helps students see where mathematics fits into the
world at large.
A well-developed WebQuest that integrates language arts and mathematics! Reading
the book Math Curse sets the stage for creating a children's book that shows the role
mathematics plays in life. Working in groups, students investigate suggested web sites to learn about publishing
and book development and mathematics applications. Students from each group become the measurement, statistics,
and computation experts who complete a series of mathematics activities that are incorporated into a story.
Finally, desktop publishing completes the unit.
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For this online data collection project, students monitor and report the number
and type of animals killed by motor vehicles in their locale, along with information about the environmental
conditions (highway speed limit, phase of the moon, season of the year) that may have contributed to an
animal's death. Teachers can use the data to teach ecological principles, to portray information graphically,
and to develop elementary concepts in statistical analysis.
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Ideas on this site lead students to explore the mathematics in their own communities;
for example, the geometric shapes in buildings or the data available on monuments and in cemeteries. As students explore,
they develop math problems related to their findings. Teachers can submit the problems to the web site, along
with photos, drawings, sound recordings, and even videos, which are then made available to other educators
and students.
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An eighth-grade math teacher leads her students out of the classroom and into the
community. As the article states, her students "have honed measurement skills while helping to build houses for the
local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. They have also mastered concepts of algebra by taking an inventory of
forest snags and woody debris alongside staffers from the Oregon Department of Forestry, and applied their
understanding of area, perimeter, and volume to helping Oregon Fish and Wildlife workers reseed a thinned tract
of forestland." An inspiring read! (From
A Natural Fusion: Math and Science Across the Curriculum: Northwest Teacher, volume 4 number 1 -
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These materials are designed to show the mathematical principles embedded in the traditional designs
created by various cultures; in particular, African, African American, Native American, and Latino cultures.
Using applets on the site, students explore mathematics as they re-create existing patterns and structures,
or make their own designs. Standards-based lesson plans, evaluations, and other teaching materials support
the software.
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Through this online project, students learn about Eratosthenes and actually do a similar measurement
that yields a close estimate of the earth’s circumference. Even with access to only one computer, students can
obtain data from other schools that lie approximately on their own longitude. Careful instructions guide
the students in carrying out the experiment and analyzing the data collected. The project also provides activities,
reference materials, online help, and a teacher area.
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Here you will find online resources that connect mathematics to social studies,
art, and science. Each section contains lesson plans, problems to solve, and examples of mathematics at work
in an interdisciplinary setting.
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Copyright
December 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.
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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
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