This activity, part of the NASA CONNECT Series, is designed to help students in grades 6-8 learn how NASA engineers develop experimental aircraft. It consists of an overview of the program, details of the hands-on activity, a series of blackline master student worksheets, teacher materials, and a guide to further resources. (MM)

This book explores the ways in which fourth-grade students use story, metaphor, and language to develop mathematical thinking skills and strategies. Replete with children's stories and illustrations, the book looks at children as sense-makers, storytellers, language creators, and problem-posers. It focuses on how to create a classroom community…

Guides preschool educators through cooking activities that can enhance children's abilities in math, science, social studies, reading, language, motor development, art, music, social skills, and health education. Contains 11 step-by-step instructions, suggested rebus cards, important cooking rules, and recipes to ensure successful cooking with…

This article describes a set of learning activities that use algebraic problems and written student work to help preservice and in-service teachers understand students' algebraic thinking. (Contains 4 figures.)

Teachers from the departments of Mathematics and Computer Science, and Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater collaboratively developed and implemented an evening math event, "Family Math Fun Night," at local elementary schools. As an assignment, preservice elementary teachers developed hands-on mathematical…

Why should schools have a Family Math Night? It helps students learn essential math concepts. It gives parents a chance to serve as models of motivation, persistence and competence. It promotes math success in a supportive setting. With its step-by-step directions and suggestions for both teachers and parents, this book takes the worry out of…

Describes the challenges of including 22 students with wide-ranging abilities into one third grade classroom, focusing on class projects and units; support systems for special needs students; math, reading, and writing activities; use of multiple intelligences; and the benefits inclusion (e.g., having two adults in the room, role models for…

The sport of Ultimate has grown from parking lot fun to international competition in its 35 year existence. As in many sports, the team that scores is subsequently on defense. Thus the probability that a team will score next is dependent on which team has scored most recently. Unlike in many other sports, teams switch ends after each score. Thus…

Maintains that Pica's resource book is an excellent guide for educators seeking new movement activities to perform with young children. Asserts that the organization of the book offers clear directions for the activities and proposes guidelines to transform the activities in interesting ways. Notes that the book sometimes does not provide specific…

This study examined the effects of level of instructional scaffolding on students' use of Geometer's Sketchpad and other software tools in a technology-integrated geometry curriculum. In order to revitalize education at the secondary level and in particular in the mathematics curriculum, educational reformers have advocated the incorporation of…

Variability stands in the heart of statistics theory and practice. Concepts and judgments involved in comparing groups have been found to be a productive vehicle for motivating learners to reason statistically and are critical for building the intuitive foundation for inferential reasoning. The focus in this paper is on the emergence of beginners'…

Noting that a creative approach to early childhood education allows teachers to reinforce the foundation of achievement by encouraging and expanding upon children's play activities, this book provides teacher-developed ideas and strategies for creating learning communities in the early childhood classroom. The beginning chapter introduces creative…

Many students doubt that statistical distributions are of practical value. Simulation makes it possible for students to tackle challenging, understandable projects that illustrate how distributions can be used to answer "what-if" questions of the type often posed by analysts. Course materials that have been developed over two years of classroom…

This document consists of the first 39 consecutive issues of the newsletter, "E.C.E. Connection," published monthly (except August) to offer information and support to early childhood practitioners. Articles from the 1994 issues include: "Some 'Affordable' Ideas To Brighten Your Classroom"; "A Notice Board: A Way To Keep…

This publication is designed for families with young children ages four through eight. It aims to help families acquire methods and materials through which to make mathematics more accessible for all students. Special focus is placed on those students from groups that are not traditionally well-represented in mathematics: students of color, girls,…