Middle school students need opportunities to craft informal mathematical arguments beyond justification of steps in an algorithm. Pentominoes provide an excellent vehicle for such activity. In this article, the authors describe an exploration with pentominoes that engaged a group of ninth-grade students in proportional reasoning, dilation, and…

This article illustrates how to integrate mathematics with social issues. Social issues discussed in the newspaper provide a rich context for connecting mathematical activities to the real world. The sample activities focus on measurement concepts. (Contains 2 figures.)

Helps students develop new insights into mathematical relationships through alternative representations. Examines patterns, symbolic, and functions approaches. (Contains 11 references.) (YDS)

Spatial visualization is an important skill that deserves instructional attention. Strong evidence supports the claim that "measures of mathematical ability tend to be strongly correlated with spatial ability" (Anderson 2000). Thus, there is every reason to believe that time spent helping students develop their spatial visualization skills will…