Suggestions for what and how to teach topological ideas are presented. (DT)

Describes two sets of activities designed to stimulate thinking skills and to bring some topological aspects into the mathematics curriculum. One set explores Mobius strips; the other set deals with tori. The activities are suitable for students in fourth through eighth grades. (JN)

THIS BOOKLET, ONE OF A SERIES, HAS BEEN DEVELOPED FOR THE PROJECT, A PROGRAM FOR MATHEMATICALLY UNDERDEVELOPED PUPILS. A PROJECT TEAM, INCLUDING INSERVICE TEACHERS, IS BEING USED TO WRITE AND DEVELOP THE MATERIALS FOR THIS PROGRAM. THE MATERIALS DEVELOPED IN THIS BOOKLET INCLUDE SUCH CONCEPTS AS (1) SIMPLE CLOSED CURVES, (2) NETWORKS, (3) MAP…

A test was designed to measure whether or not the child's conceptualization of space would demand that two topological properties of figures (connectedness, and openness and closedness) remain invariant when the figures were subjected to transformations. Ninety children, 30 from each of ages four, six, and eight, were tested. Six items were given…

Definitions and examples are given for the concepts of neighborhood, exterior, interior, and boundary points, closed and open regions, and boundedness of point sets. (DT)

Permanent models of soap bubble configuration can be made by using a new plastic art medium. (MM)

Topics discussed include: reasons for strategies; the use of a hierarchy of spaces from topological to Euclidean in teaching; structural strategies; pedagogical strategies; and mathematical strategies. (MP)

The author takes exception to Piaget and Inhelder's conclusion that a child's first conceptualization of space is topological. (JP)

The Minnesota School Mathematics and Science Teaching (MINNEMAST) Project is characterized by its emphasis on the coordination of mathematics and science in the elementary school curriculum. Units are planned to provide children with activities in which they learn various concepts from both subject areas. Each subject is used to support and…

The research reported dealt with the ability of first, second, and third grade students to understand the topological concepts of solids, sheets, lines, networks, and of order and betweenness. The concepts were presented through the use of manipulative materials. The instruction was conducted by the regular teachers for a period of three weeks…

The value and technique of pre-geometry and geometry instruction in the primary grades are discussed. Geometric concepts such as open and closed figures, connectedness, similarity, congruence, straightness, and angle are presented through suggested activities, lesson plans, and evaluation procedures. (SD)

This study was designed to determine if a group of five- and eight-year-old students' understanding of selected geometric ideas paralleled Piaget's topological, projective, and Euclidean thesis. Additional purposes were to investigate which geometric ideas the group learned easiest, and to examine the relationships between geometric understanding…

Introduces elastic geometry, or topology, into the elementary classroom through the study of connecting the intuitive, visual, and spatial components of storyknifing as well as other everyday and ethnomathematical activities. (ASK)

The author's experience in leading activities related to the Mobius strip to a fourth-grade class is discussed. (SD)