Viewing Articles From a Different Angle (”Acute” Blog)

This year, Washington Irving’s 6th grade math teachers are researching articles and lessons to share with the community. Here you will find current practices related to the middle school math curriculum. Click on to the links to read the articles for yourself. Then, join our discussion!

Rheta N. Rubenstein
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Vol. 13, No.4, November 2007

Is an acute angle really cute? Is pi something you really eat? Sometimes math vocabulary can be tricky…and even amusing! Where else can you find square roots?

This article deals with the complexities of learning vocabulary along with new math concepts. The author points out that math vocabulary can be confusing. Listed below are some of the reasons:
• Some words are shared with everyday English, such as reflection
• Some words are shared with other disciplines, such as prism
• Some words are used only in mathematics, such as denominator
• Some words have multiple meanings in mathematics, such as round
• Some words sound like others, such as intercept and intersect

Also, the author gives several strategies for supporting students in these situations. The article forces the reader to take a deeper look at the true meanings of words we use on a daily basis in math class. Rubenstein sums it all up by saying, “Language is a major medium of teaching and learning mathematics; we serve students well when we support them in learning mathematical language with meaning and fluency.”
Click here to view the full article.

We found an interesting article written by one of our own, Mr. Thomas Adams. It’s an example of using a hands-on activity to demonstrate a concept. In the activity, students learn about new concepts, such as setting up and solving proportions, while practicing previous concepts. The students use operations with decimals to solve their individual proportions.
Click here to view the full article.

Danwal Singh Neel
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Vol. 11 No. 2 September 2005

This article addresses the question of how to teach mathematics to all learners, regardless of their diversity. The author describes a class project where the students were required to use cultural artifacts to both explore their culture and mathematical ideas. This assignment was labeled the SCAMP project. (Story about a Cultural Artifact from a Mathematical Perspective) The project was divided into four sections and students could work alone or in pairs. In the first section students chose an item that captured their interest. The second section the students investigated and researched the mathematics behind their object. In the third section students created a math problem based on their chosen object. The last section students wrote a story, song, or poem that is central to their artifact. Students chose items from pizza to Mah-jongg. Through the project, the students learned mathematics using their diverse gifts, interests, and challenges.
Click here to view the full article.

Recognizing Students’ Emerging Algebraic Strategies
Vanessa R. Pitts Bannister and Jesse L. M. Wilkins
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School Vol. 13 No. 5 Dec. 2007

This article addresses the problems of guiding the student from an arithmetic frame of thinking to an algebraic frame of thinking. The authors use an activity where students investigate the different heights of stacked cups. Many of the students use a proportional reasoning approach in a non-proportional situation. The authors believe for students to be successful in their switch from arithmetic thinking to algebraic thinking, they need an intermediate phase of thinking. The activity presented in the article is an excellent start to this process.
Click here to view the full article.