Children's literature can provide useful contexts for teaching mathematics. In this article, the authors discuss the use of the children's book "Measuring Penny" (Leedy 1997) to support Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) related to length measurement. The authors first describe three types of misconceptions…

As a parent, the author stepped into his child's class on a Friday morning to a room buzzing with activity. Parents walked around the room, coffee and bagel in hand, reading stories that their child (and others) had drafted, revised, written, and illustrated. Students eagerly shared their stories and drawings, cherishing the comments and praise…

Building physical models is a natural activity for children and provides a context for lessons on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes. However, children do not think of their models as prisms, cylinders, and pyramids. Their creations are spaceships, tunnels, castles, and nets on the floor. Creating these types of shapes with…

Young children thrive in classrooms that allow them to explore and discover their environment and interests and also support them in this learning. Because children learn best when they are interested and excited, early-childhood educators should offer children play-based, integrated mathematical experiences (NRC 2009). In this article, the…

A "tessellation" is a pattern of geometric shapes that fulfills three conditions: (1) No gaps exist between the shapes; (2) The shapes do not overlap; and (3) The pattern can go on forever in all directions. Tilings (such as tiling a floor) are familiar to children and provide a rich resource at all grade levels for learning many…

Geometry is the branch of mathematics that addresses spatial sense and geometric reasoning. Students begin to understand geometry through direct interaction with their physical world. Because it is the study of the physical attributes of the environment, geometry has relevance for every student; the world becomes a big classroom. As students see,…

This article showcases the benefits of the alliance the authors have established during the past two years with the Barnes Foundation to add more mathematics activities to their repertoire and to integrate more art into their mathematics lessons. Recently, they decided to focus on activities at the K-grade 2 level that could be used as an on-site…

Whether they are third graders or teacher candidates, students can learn about perimeter and area while having fun manipulating two-dimensional figures into three-dimensional objects. In this article, the author describes a common mathematical activity for geometry students by creating nets for a cube. By making connections between nets in two…

This story of a student's misconceptions about quadrilateral properties makes a case for the importance of teachers not only knowing where their students have been and where they are in terms of their learning, but also where their current learning will lead them in the future. Suggested classroom activities are included. (Contains 8 figures.)

Suggests using literature to study geometry and presents activities on the book "Sitting in My Box." (Author/NB)

Presents a variety of activities in which 4th grade students investigate prisms and pyramids by building models from folded paper and drinking straws. (Author/NB)

Presents the Shape Search problem to develop student visualization. Focuses attention on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Geometry Standard. (Author/NB)

Presents mathematics activities focusing on explorations in the environment that include visual or geometric components. (ASK)

Discusses possible solutions for the problem of determining how many sandwiches were made with specific ingredients that appeared in the March 1998 issue of this journal. (ASK)

Discusses the importance of communicating ideas in teaching any subject. Presents a story about an elementary-level mathematics lesson having to do with space and shape. Suggests that examining the assumptions held by teachers about the content of mathematics and how to communicate mathematics to students is very beneficial. (ASK)