Activities for teaching mathematics in kindergarten through grade 8 are included in this guide. Both original ideas and ideas gleaned from various sources, including teachers in the district, are presented. The introduction briefly discusses the importance of developing understanding of concepts, processes, and relationships, the need for…

A study explored the effectiveness of an instructional approach designed to help students establish connections between their understanding of the decimal system and the stardard symbols and procedural rules used to solve decimal problems. Ten children each in grades 4 through 6 participated. They were individually interviewed prior to and six…

This is one of a series of student booklets designed for use in a bilingual mathematics program in grades 6-8. The general format is to present each page in both Spanish and English. The mathematical topics in this booklet include graphing on a number line, place value, using exponents, flow charts, and Roman numerals. (MK)

This teacher-prepared Learning Activity Package (LAP) for individualized instruction in topics in pre-algebra covers the natural numbers, whole numbers, and integers. The unit contains a rationale for the material, a list of behavioral objectives, a list of resources including texts (with reading assignments and problem sets specified) and tape…

Behavioral objectives are listed for the primary, intermediate and junior high mathematics curriculum in the Mesa Public Schools (Arizona). Lists of specific objectives are given by level for sets, symbol recognition, number operations, mathematical structures, measurement and problem solving skills. (JP)

A set of ten teacher-prepared Learning Activity Packages (LAPs) for individualized instruction in topics in pre-algebra, the units cover the decimal numeration system; number theory; fractions and decimals; ratio, proportion, and percent; sets; properties of operations; rational numbers; real numbers; open expressions; and open rational…

This fifth unit in the SMSG junior high mathematics series is a student text covering the following topics: rational numbers and coordinates; equations; scientific notation, decimals, and the metric system; constructions, congruent triangles, and the Pythagorean property; relative error; and real numbers. (DT)

Investigates whether elementary school students can construct operations of thought for integers and integer addition crucial for understanding elementary algebra. Two sixth graders were taught using a computer. Results included both students being able to construct mental operations for negating arbitrary integers and determining sign and…

A teaching experiment with six third graders to analyze their ways of operating while solving fraction tasks. Children's quantitative reasoning with fractions was based on their quantitative reasoning with natural numbers. Presents the constructive itinerary of one of the most advanced children in the group. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/MDH)

This article describes a valuable lesson that university mathematics faculty members learned from fifth grade and middle school teachers in a professional development workshop. The goal of the workshop was to show how models for whole number operations could be linked to models for rational numbers and to connect the traditional algorithms to the…

The number skills of groups of 7- to 9-year-old children with specific language impairment (SLI) attending mainstream or special schools were compared with an age and nonverbal reasoning matched group (age control [AC]) and with a younger group matched on oral language comprehension. The SLI groups performed below the AC group on every skill. They…

In this paper, a contextual approach to teaching Mathematics at the pre-university level is recommended, and an example is illustrated. A "context" in the form of a real common mathematical problem is presented to the students. Different approaches to tackle the problem (from topics within and outside the syllabus) can be elicited from students.…

Much of the difficulty that students encounter in the transition from arithmetic to algebra stems from their early learning and understanding of arithmetic. Too often, students learn about the whole number system and the operations that govern that system as a set of procedures to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.…

Under what conditions can a true "science of mental life" arise from psychological investigations? Can psychology formulate scientific laws of a general nature, comparable in soundness to the laws of physics? I argue that the search for such laws must return to the forefront of psychological and developmental research, an enterprise that requires…

Mathematics is an "artificial" deliberately constructed language, supported crucially by: (1) special alpha-numeric characters and usages; (2) extra-special non-alphanumeric symbols; (3) special written formats within a single line, such as superscripts and subscripts; (4) grouping along a line, including bracketing using round brackets,…