This is a companion piece to "Professional Learning Community: Improving Mathematical Problem Solving for Students in Grades 4 through 8. Facilitator's Guide. REL 2019-002" (ED595201). It contains handouts to accompany each of the sessions included in the facilitator's guide.

This book is about playing with mathematics, teaching: (1) How to multiply and divide large numbers mentally; (2) Making addition and subtraction easy; (3) Tricks for understanding fractions and decimals; and (4) How to quickly check answers for each calculation. Described as a foolproof way to do multiplication, division, factoring estimating,…

The authors argue that home economics teachers should teach critical thinking and problem solving to their students. They demonstrate the uses of questioning and concept attainment to develop such skills. (CH)

Two problem-solving skills, guess-and-test and simplification, are introduced and reinforced through a variety of motivating problem situations. Solutions of sample problems and extensive directions for the teacher encourage the use of Polya's four-step model of problem solving. (MNS)

Two computer-generated star charts that can be used as overlay transparencies to show an expanding universe are presented. Directions on how to use the star charts to determine the Hubble constant and the age of the universe are provided. (KR)

Designed by classroom teachers who, through repeated experimentation, identified activities that proved successful in developing students' understanding of citizenship, this unit contains 12 lessons that focus on the multicultural dimensions of citizenship. Each lesson includes objectives, procedures, and materials designed to involve students…

Presented are the skills needed for facilitating and linking. A role play experience provides the opportunities for issues and concerns to be made explicit. The role play process permits conflict points to be made explicit and to be specified in a psychologically safe context. Because the role play is "make believe," there is permission…

The focus of this book is on a rationale and a set of strategies for problem generation in mathematics. Six chapters attempt to involve readers in the process of posing problems and in understanding why that process is important. Chapter 1 discusses two problem posing perspectives, while chapter 2 looks at the first phase of problem posing. The…

This users' manual, intended for use with a Project Head Start teacher training notebook, describes the purpose, development and field testing of the training materials and suggests procedures for using the notebook as a resource in teacher training sessions. The training notebook to which the users' manual refers is based on 11 questions in the…

A method for demonstrating eutrophication that can be used as a simple illustration of the phenomenon or as a basis for problem-solving activities is presented. A sample worksheet with procedures for this activity and discussion questions is included. (Author/KR)

An activity in which students use a rubber band and flexible straws to pull a dynamics cart so that the cart has a consistent angle and, therefore, a consistent horizontal component of force is described. A copy of the handout for the activity is included. (KR)

This exercise shows how to turn the expository treatment of a topic or event into a mystery or puzzling situation that students are asked to solve. Once a puzzle is presented, students may pose only questions that can be answered yes or no. Three sample lessons are included to illustrate the process. (JDH)

Topics from graph theory are introduced at an informal level and thereby made accessible to the majority of secondary school students. Three worksheets are included. (MNS)

Provides a list of 33 problem-solving steps extracted from physics textbooks and arranged within the following 3 categories: setup, solution, and checks. (MDH)

These activities involve students in interpreting story problems, drawing their own conclusions, and making guesses. Four worksheets, for levels 1-8, are included, along with teaching suggestions. (MNS)