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Making Math Meaningful. Windy May Susan Love Martin Institute Conference. Windy May wmay@pdsmemphis.org pds5thgrademath.blogspot.com Susan Love slove@pdsmemphis.org. How do we make math meaningful?. Relate math to the real world – how they use it and how they apply it
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Making Math Meaningful Windy May Susan Love Martin Institute Conference
Windy May wmay@pdsmemphis.org pds5thgrademath.blogspot.com Susan Love slove@pdsmemphis.org
How do we make math meaningful? • Relate math to the real world – how they use it and how they apply it • Writing about the process of math • Describing the components of each process • Video explanations • Using statistics from sports to teach skills • Students as teachers
Writing about the process of math • Rough draft/Peer editing/Teacher conferences/Final answer • Always have a writing component in assessments • Similes • Geometry • jingle for prime and composite numbers Math and Music can be fun!
Examples of Mathematical thinking in Writing • Explain the difference between a rectangle and a trapezoid • Is a square always a rhombus? Explain. • Claim/Support/Question Chick Fil A Parking • If a number ends in zero, it will always be divisible by what numbers? Be certain of your answer and tell me why. Think of the divisibility tests we have used many times.
Examples of Mathematical thinking in Writing • Do all right triangles have complementary angles? What makes you say that? • Could a diameter also be called a line of symmetry? Explain. • Are points considered a zero dimension if points make up lines and lines are one dimension? • Explain the process of borrowing when you subtract 2,345 from 5,000. • Teach the process of subtracting mixed numbers when borrowing is necessary.
Examples of Mathematical thinking in Writing • a) 5.6 x 7.78 = n or b) 7.78 x 5.6 = n Will you get the same answer for both of these problems? Which one do you think will be easier to solve? Is there a property that allows you to solve multiplication in any order? If yes, what is the property? Explain your answers to each question and solve the problems.
Video Explanations • Math explanations via podcasts and i movies • Videos teaching multi-digit multiplication • Voicethreads solving for variables
Examples • Podcast by Fifth Grade boys to explain different things we have done in the classroom. • How To Videos – Teaching about fractions.
Using statistics from sports to teach skills • Fantasy Football • Grizzlies
Fantasy Football Name:___________________YourTeam:__________________Week_____ 1. Quarterback for your team:_____________________ I would like you to find the completion percentage for your quarterback. Comp/Att = decimal (Go all the way to the ten thousandths and round to the thousandths.) Change the decimal to a percent. 2. Quarterback for the other team:_____________________ I would like you to find the completion percentage for the other quarterback. Comp/Att = decimal (Go all the way to the ten thousandths and round to the thousandths.) Change the decimal to a percent.
Fantasy Football • In fantasy football, Johnny is awarded 0.12 points each time Tim Tebow makes a completion. If Sam made 4.32 points during the game, how many completions did he make? • McNabb had 38 attempts to throw the ball in his game on Sunday. He had 28 completions in those 38 attempts. What is his completion percentage during this game?
Students as Teachers • More than explanations – grading the papers • Suzy Smarty Pants • Random Guy • Big Head Johnny • Sammy Smarty Pants
Suzy Smarty Pants You will be grading a test taken by Suzy Smarty Pants. She completed her test in 15 minutes, which was 20 minutes faster than her peers. When asked if she checked her work she replied yes with her fingers crossed behind her back. She didn’t show all of her work either. You will quickly realize that she is racing to be the first finished while sacrificing quality work. She told her classmates that she would receive the highest grade in the class. Please be thorough while grading her work. She will not be able to learn from her mistakes otherwise. Also, remember the steps to giving her her grade. First, multiply the number wrong by 3.5 points. Then subtract that product from 100 to find the difference. If at this point, there is a decimal in the grade, please round to the nearest whole number.
I Used To Think/Now I Think Take some time to think about how you can make your math class meaningful. After seeing our presentation today we would like to know your thoughts. You used to think… But now you think… Thank you so much for coming!