Presents an activity to integrate literature into the mathematics curriculum that is an interesting springboard to problem solving, an opportunity to research famous mathematicians, and a vehicle to enhance the understanding of mathematics concepts. (ASK)

Describes a fifth-grade student solving the "Food for Thought" problem featured in the February 1998 issue. (ASK)

Presents an activity on transformations that employs a story from children's literature. Emphasizes that books and stories that use mathematical problem solving not only engage children in the narrative but also give them opportunities to see how mathematics is used in everyday life. (ASK)

Proposes the utilization of graph theory to solve optimization problems. Defines the notion of spanning trees and presents two algorithms to determine optimization of a spanning tree. Discusses an example to connect towns by power transmission lines at minimum cost. (MDH)

Discusses a strategy to present girls with models of hardy female personalities through examples of young problem solvers found in children's literature to nurture and build the strength in female students to tackle problem-solving situations. Contains 17 references. (ASK)

Presents a trigonometry problem concerning control of the entry of sunlight through a window. (ASK)

Describes a project implemented in a second-grade class that is based on a child-centered, problem-solving approach to connecting literature and writing with mathematics. Emphasizes data exploration by having students collect, record, interpret, and analyze data on eggs. Contains 11 references. (ASK)

Presents ideas and activities designed to integrate poetry into the third-grade mathematics curriculum. Topics discussed include estimating, formulating and solving, comparing, and extending. Lists 11 poems that can be used. (10 references) (MKR)

Presents an example of a problem-solving opportunity found in a daily newspaper. Illustrates how the newspaper can supply problem-solving opportunities with connections to language arts, social studies, and science. (ASK)

NASA CONNECT is an annual series of integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance learning programs for students in grades 6-8. This program is designed for students to learn about the evolution of flight. The program has three components--television broadcast, Web activity, and lesson guide--which are designed as an…

There is plenty of "math on the menu" in the series of activities featured in this book. Students help the Rosada family start a Mexican restaurant featuring a variety of tostadas. Over the course of the unit, students apply different problem-solving strategies as they plan and expand the menu, determine different combinations of ingredients,…

Describes a classroom experience in which the teacher experiments with integrating mathematics history into a calculus class by presenting a historical problem taken from L'Hopital to be solved by the students. Extracts the role that history can play in teaching mathematics from the experience. (MDH)

Suggests ways in which mathematical models can be presented and developed in the classroom to promote discussion, analysis, and understanding of issues related to energy consumption. Five problems deal with past trends and future projections of availability of a nonrenewable resource, natural gas. (Contains 13 references.) (MDH)

Presents criteria for designing craft activities that foster meaningful use of mathematical thinking and problem solving. (MKR)