21 Pi Day Resources for your Classroom | PBS Education Around the world, March 14th (3/14) is recognized as the day to celebrate Pi, which, of course, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The “earliest known” celebration of Pi Day was in 1988 when physicist Larry Shaw and staff of the San Francisco Exploratorium marched around a circular space and then ate fruit pies! Since then, Pi Day has become a classroom and cultural phenomenon. Let’s start off with lesson ideas offered by PBS LearningMedia that include background essays, class discussion topics, videos, interactives, and math in the real world! Add in the FunAre you thinking about holding a contest to see who can memorize the most digits of Pi? Experiment and DiscoverLet students discover Pi for themselves with these simple tools: a can, string, and ruler. Discovering Pi Lesson PlanFrom LearnNC, Designed for Grades 6-8Circumference | School Yourself GeometryMath interactive, Designed for grades 6-10 Lorraine C.
21 Digital Tools to Build Vocabulary If you follow this blog, you know that I believe effective vocabulary instruction is just about the most important instructional activity for teachers to get right. For lots of reasons. Vocabulary influences fluency, comprehension, and student achievement. How’s that for starters? In addition, a broad vocabulary is important for effective speaking, listening, reading and writing. I write frequently about the importance of effective vocabulary instruction and my recent infographic – the 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Effective Vocabulary Instruction – has proved very popular having been Pinned over 31,000 times. In today’s 21st century classrooms, digital tools must coexist alongside more traditional tools. Digital tools have advantages. The following digital tools show promise to support word learning, review, and playing with language. 21 Digital Tools to Build Vocabulary Reference Tools 1. Lingro is a cool tool for both the “wow” factor and for its usefulness. 2. “Jetty” as defined by Shahi 3.
Booklets | Maths Centre If you need specific information on a particular mathematical topic then you will find it here. Most of the booklets are 50 pages or more of concentrated explanations and exercises to practise. Visit this section often as it will be continually updated with booklets being revised and added to each month. Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 AS91027 Apply Algebraic Procedures In Solving Problems This 84 page booklet is designed for the MCAT (Mathematics Common Assessment Task). Tau Day | No, really, pi is wrong: The Tau Manifesto by Michael Hartl Introduction to Algebra We live in a world of numbers. You see them every day: on clocks, in the stock market, in sports, and all over the news. Algebra is all about figuring out the numbers you don't see. You might know how fast you can throw a ball, but can you use this number to determine how far you can throw it? You might keep track of stock prices, but how can you figure out how much money you've made (or lost) in the market? And you may already know how to tell time, but can you calculate at what times a clock's hour and minute hands are exactly aligned? Learn more about our High School and AP* Exam Preparation Courses
TEACHERS - Math Talks Top menu: NT = Number Talks PT = Pat tern Talks (hover over NT to see) Hello there. My name is Fawn Nguyen, I'd spent 30 years in the classroom, and 2019 is my first year as a math TOSA (teacher on special assignment). The voices behind these number talks and pattern talks were from my 6th and 8th graders during the 2013-2014 school year. If you’re not sure what math talks are, here are a few resources:Professor Jo Boaler refers to number talks regularly in her course How To Learn Math 2014.Brad Fulton presented this strategy at the 2013 CMC-South Conference. Introduction to Geometry More than 2000 years ago, long before rockets were launched into orbit or explorers sailed around the globe, a Greek mathematician measured the size of the Earth using nothing more than a few facts about lines, angles, and circles. This course will start at the very beginnings of geometry, answering questions like "How big is an angle?" and "What are parallel lines?" and proceed up through advanced theorems and proofs about 2D and 3D shapes. Along the way, you'll learn a few different ways to find the area of a triangle, you'll discover a shortcut for counting the number of stones in the Great Pyramid of Giza, and you'll even come up with your own estimate for the size of the Earth. Learn more about our High School and AP* Exam Preparation Courses This course was funded in part by the Wertheimer Fund.
How I Do Number Talks in My High School Math Classroom This post originally appeared on the blog Scaffolded Math and Science. Though there are times I fly by the seat of my pants, I usually have plenty of printed materials ready to go for my students. To do Number Talks right, printed material had to go right out the window along with calculators, pencils, and even blank paper. It was uncomfortable and weird, but after our third Number Talk, I found myself feeling more successful as a teacher than I had in a while. As a teacher, there can be long stretches of time when I don’t at all feel successful. As simple as Number Talks turned out to be, they were super intimidating at first. Hand signals are a part of Number Talks and there are different signals for thinking, having an answer, having more than one strategy and agreeing with what is said. Next comes the uncomfortable part – no calculators, pencils, or paper. And finally the numbers come in. We started really simply with 10% of 50.