This guide is a collection of ideas for mathematics activities which were assembled and tested by primary teachers. The activities supplement the teaching of basic numeracy and include topics such as algorithms, pyramids, magic squares, multiples, and number values. The guide is organized into four sections: (1) addition and subtraction; (2)…

This guide is linked to a science curriculum and was designed for use by those involved with early childhood education. The goal of this document is to enable caregivers and teachers to use the curriculum in a more varied, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate way. Topics discussed include student attitudes toward mathematics, parent…

This paper describes a follow-up to a 1998 study that reexamined several aspects of elementary science students' achievement, attitudes, and journal writing in conjunction with an Alabama Hands-on Activity Science Program (HASP) grant utilizing the Full Option Science System (FOSS) kit. During the four weeks of the study, 20 fourth grade students…

Discusses why university freshmen may be deficient in mathematics and investigates methods of diagnosis and remedy. Improvement of manipulative skills is emphasized. Deficiencies due to failure to understand concepts and notation are discussed in an appendix. (Author/SA)

The author examines Maria Montessori's philosophy and methods of music education for children, with its emphasis on sensory, manipulative materials and instruments designed specifically for the young child. (KC)

The design of a "percent computer" that uses the concept of similar triangles is presented. The device can be easily made by elementary and secondary pupils out of graph paper and string. Sample student problems are included. (MP)

Describes activities in which students perform experiments with physical models that they create. Students develop geometric intuition and build a concrete foundation upon which abstract principles can be built. (DDR)

This study evaluated effects of manipulative instruction on perimeter and area problem-solving performance of three middle or high school students with learning disabilities in mathematics. Students rapidly acquired the problem solving skills, maintained these skills over a two-month period, and transferred the skills to a paper-and-pencil problem…

Discusses how large hollow blocks can meet many preschool children's learning needs through creative dramatic play, and also gives some guidelines on how these blocks can be constructed by parents and teachers. (BB)

Tessellations provide an opportunity to incorporate a variety of geometric topics in one unit, allowing students to review shapes and focus on relationships among them. Three activities are described, with illustrations. (MNS)

Uses manipulative materials to build and examine geometric models that simulate the self-similarity properties of fractals. Examples are discussed in two dimensions, three dimensions, and the fractal dimension. Discusses how models can be misleading. (Contains 10 references.) (MDH)

Presents three teaching ideas: (1) investigating patterns in the sum of four numbers in a square array, no two from the same column or row; (2) using three-dimensional coordinates to generate models of three tetrahedra; and (3) applying the K=rs area formula for a triangle to other polygons. (MDH)

Study of (n=101) eighth-grade physical science students learning principles of plane mirrors using mirrors and Miras found that males scored significantly higher than females on a chapter test but that all students benefited when both Miras and mirrors were used throughout the learning process. (18 references) (Author/MKR)