The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (2000) outlines fi ve Process Standards that are essential for developing deep understanding of mathematics: (1) Problem Solving; (2) Reasoning and Proof; (3) Communication; (4) Connections; and (5) Representation. The Common Core…

Presents a poem written to reassure parents that they make an impact on their children's mathematical awareness through everyday activities. (Author)

Presents ways of using fanciful stories to engage students in mathematical problem solving. (KHR)

Presents activities that focus on the mathematical opportunities that abound as part of the Olympic Games. (KHR)

Describes how to evaluate trade books (i.e., books other than textbooks) that are oriented towards teaching mathematics. (Contains 22 references.) (Author)

Features activities and problems designed to appeal directly to students and be relevant to today's world. (KHR)

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)

Describes a multicultural and multidisciplinary classroom activity involving the mathematics of flags. Activities are related to geometry and spatial sense, linear and area measurement, fractions, and basic arithmetic. Venn diagrams are introduced as a way to organize information to simplify understanding. This experience supports whole-language…

Describes strategies for using literature to teach number sense and problem solving. Reports that the rich class discussions reflected some of the students' thinking, gave students opportunities to share their approaches and understandings, and gave the teacher additional insights into students' thinking. (JRH)

Describes how to use a well-known book, "Caps for Sale", with children as a springboard for mathematical problem solving. Presents patterning problems, problems created by the student, problems with a known total and unknown parts, and problems with known parts and an unknown total. (KHR)

Discusses an approach to learning that uses well-selected problems to capture student interest and challenge their intellect. Presents an example of the problem-centered approach and discusses ways in which it helps all students learn important mathematical concepts and skills. (KHR)

Describes an activity that provides many opportunities for students to make connections between mathematics and the high interest subject of basketball. (KHR)

Explores how to know when children think mathematically, how to establish a setting that elicits mathematical thinking, and what to learn about children as a result. Fourth grade students think and talk mathematically while tackling a real-life PACKETS program. Addresses content standards involving proportional reasoning as well as the process…

Describes a cooperative learning project with fourth-grade teachers and students. Discusses the K-W-D-L technique (what we know-what we want to know-what we did-what we learned) for mathematical problem solving. Concludes that having students write about their problem-solving experiences connects mathematics and communication skills and enhances…

Describes the Math Pals program which emphasized mathematics communication, allowed students to become active problem solvers with a pal in a different school, and gave students a multicultural experience. (JRH)