Groups of mathematically strong and weak second-, fourth- and sixth-graders were individually confronted with numerosities smaller and larger than 100 embedded in one-, two- or three-dimensional realistic contexts. While one third of these contexts were totally unstructured (e.g., an irregular piece of land jumbled up with 72 cars), another third…

"Numeracy," so-called on analogy with literacy, is essential for making health and other social judgments in everyday life [Reyna, V. F., & Brainerd, C. J. (in press). The importance of mathematics in health and human judgment: Numeracy, risk communication, and medical decision making. "Learning and Individual Differences."]. Recent research on…

David Schwartz's classic book "How Much Is a Million?" can be the catalyst for sparking many interesting mathematical investigations. This article describes five episodes in which children in grades 2-5 all heard this familiar story read aloud to them. At each grade level, they were encouraged to think of their own way to explore the concept of…

"Focus in Grade 1: Teaching with Curriculum Focal Points" describes and illustrates learning paths for the mathematical concepts and skills of each grade 1 Focal Point as presented in Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics. It includes representational supports for teaching and learning that can facilitate…

This module is the second in a series of 12 learning modules designed to teach occupational mathematics. Blocks of informative material and rules are followed by examples and practice problems. The solutions to the practice problems are found at the end of the module. Specific topics covered include rounding off, precision of measurement, and the…

This report describes an investigation in England of some of the problems children experience with fractions. In particular, the restricted view that some children have of fractions is investigated. The methodology involved a large number of interviews with secondary school children (aged 12-14). The results of these interviews led to the design…

This booklet is a catalog of error patterns found in basic arithmetic and algebra courses. It is intended to be used as a resource by instructors and tutors teaching these concepts. The material is divided into major concept headings with subheadings. The error patterns are named and given a brief general description followed by a specific example…

This manual was designed for use by teachers using the School Mathematics Study Group's (SMSG) special text series for low achievers in grades 7 and 8; it covers chapters 10 through 18 of that series. The manual begins with introductory material describing characteristics of low-achieving students and suggested instructional approaches. Testing…

Seven papers presented at a research conference on number and measurement are presented in this volume. The first paper provides an overview of research concerning number and measurement, and suggests directions for future research. The second paper discusses the relationships between measurement and number concepts, and psychological and…

This is the first in a series of three guidebooks on minimum course content for gifted grade seven students who will begin algebra in grade eight. The topics covered include integers, sets, number properties, open sentences, and graphing; concepts are stressed. Overall course goals are specified; a course outline, performance objectives, suggested…

This first unit in the SMSG's junior high mathematics series is a student text covering the following topics: what is mathematics?; numeration; whole numbers; non-metric geometry; factoring and primes; the rational number system; measurement; and area, volume, weight, and time. (DT)

Two major ways to view the numbers to 100 are counting by ones and grouping by tens and ones. Research suggests that early understanding of numbers comes from counting and that place value instruction cannot be hurried. (PK)

Worksheets are provided for an activity involving the use of the calculator in discovering patterns when a number is divided by 9, 99, or 999. (DT)

At the request of students and the Board of Trustees, the Connecticut Community Colleges began a system to develop a common course number system. The reasons for creating a common course number system include: (1) it simplifies comparisons between colleges in the system; (2) it facilitates course comparisons, easing the transcript evaluation…

"How many are the numbers?", "How many numbers are there between 1 and 2?" These tasks were set in three fifth grade classes in an educational environment characterised by an alternation of classroom discussions orchestrated by the teacher and students' production of individual reports. They allowed us to analyse both the short term evolution of…