Posted by David Wetzel
Math Teaching Tips
It is important for students be placed in situations in which they must apply, what they are learning in mathematics, to personal experiences and situations. This helps reinforce math concepts and moves them to a level of true understanding in mathematics.
Math Teaching Tips
Real World Geometry – take students outside and have them draw pictures of all the geometric shapes they see. Then have them share after reentering the classroom.
Weekly Word Problems – once a week begin math class with a word problem students must answer related to current concepts being studied. This is a key step in learning how to develop problem solving skills.
Use Math Tradebooks – use tradebooks in connection with concept being studied, such as: Anno’s Magic Seeds, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Sir Cumference, and Grapes of Math.
GeoBoards – use geoboards for students to design their own shapes and describe them to each other using correct geometric terminology.
Additional Resources
10 Math Teaching Tips for Elementary School - Problem solving, mental math, integration of technology, interactive math websites, math games, and more are all critical to helping students understand and learn math.
Teaching Math with a Box - A hands-on, minds-on approach to teaching and learning math; students apply concepts and share their findings with classmates and others in their school.
Math Function Generator Game - Math games help students make connections within and between math concepts as they learn to problem solve outside the normal math learning context.
Writing in Mathematics - An overview is provided of the importance and why writing in math is different. A recommended checklist is provided to help students write clear math papers.
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Filed Under: Math
Posted by David Wetzel
Writing in Science
Teaching students to write scientific reports takes time and patience on behalf of teachers and their students.
Students must learn to write scientific reports with precision, clarity, and objectivity.
Figurative language must be avoided in scientific writing.
Also, active voice provides readers with a scientific report that specific, reducing ambiguous and confusing language.
Avoiding Figurative Language in Science
Students need to learn to avoid figurative language. This language can make topics more interesting and engaging to a casual reader; however, it is imprecise and not acceptable in science reports. For example:
- Figurative – Experimental subjects were assaulted with a wall of sound.
- Scientific – Experimental subjects were presented with three 20 second pulses of conspecific (same species) bird sounds.
Active Versus Passive Voice
Students must steer clear of passive voice and only use active voice in their science reports.
Avoid using the “be” words: is, am, are, was, were, and been.
The use of “I” and “we” are acceptable and reasonable in science reports.
Resource
Read more at
Writing in Science for more important scientific writing concepts that provides students with how to write science reports.
Posted by David Wetzel
Problem solving in math helps student develop a better understanding of mathematical concepts.
This is true when making connects between math concepts and everyday objects that students look at everyday.
One thing students look at everyday is the clock, which can be used to make connections Geometry.
Geometry Math Problem
When looking a students sees that it is 3:15 PM.
What is the angle between the minute and hour hands? (It is not 0 degrees)
Geometry Problem
Answer:
7.5 degrees
Every minute on the clock represents 6 degrees (360 degrees/60 minutes)
Every hour, the hour hand moves from one number to the next (in this case, it is moving from 3 to 4) which represents 30 degrees.
Since it is exactly 1/4 past the hour, the hour hand is 1/4 of the way into its 30-degree trip or 1/4 or 30 degrees….which is 7.5 degrees.
Additional Math Problems
2 Problem Solving Activities in Math
7 Math Problem Solving Exercises
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Filed Under: Math
