Discusses the two overgeneralizations "multiplications makes bigger" and "division makes smaller" in the context of solving word problems involving rational numbers less than one. Presents activities to help students make sense of multiplication and division in these situations. (MDH)

A teaching sequence provides a guide to instruction on initial concepts of fractions, equivalent fractions, and addition with fractions. (MN)

Described is an activity where base-10 blocks are used to develop students' skills in reading, writing, and visualizing large numbers. An activity sheet that helps students with decimal points is included. (KR)

Bilingual mathematics competencies and competency-coordinated activities are provided in the four sections of this curriculum guide for kindergarten (pre-operational) and grades 1-3 (concrete-operational) children. Topic areas for kindergarten include: classification (logic); comparing/ordering/graphing; quantitative; measurement; geometry;…

Concrete experience should be a first step in the development of new abstract concepts and their symbolization. Presents concrete activities based on Hyde and Nelson's work with egg cartons and Steiner's work with money to develop students' understanding of partitive division when using fractions. (MDH)

This guide describes 20 learning activities that can be used with elementary school students on the topic of probability and statistics. These activities have been developed using the mathematics laboratory approach. This publication is designed to serve as a stimulant to encourage teachers to open their minds and employ their imagination in…

Presents five activities to help students construct meaning for multiplying fractions through real-world problem contexts, physical or pictorial models, the recognition of patterns, and the use of calculators. In the context of a garden plot, worksheets examine various aspects of parts of plots, patterns in plots, and a maximization problem.…

"Seeing Fractions" is an instructional unit for teachers in California that was trial tested in about 30 classrooms, grades 4 through 6 with diverse student populations, and designed to help students become aware of the variety of ways in which fractions are commonly used. The Introduction includes an overview of fractions and what…

Recent research suggests that many middle school students approach mathematical story problems with strategies that are not based on possible meanings for the operations, yielding success for one-step problems, but providing a weak background for approaching algebra story problems. This document reports the findings and the materials developed by…