Math & Science Fellowships
This is
the new middle-level mathematics series that is being recommended for adoption
for the 1999-2000 school year. It is published by McDouglas Littell and
includes grades 6-8. A committee of twelve teachers representing grades
6-8 has reviewed numerous materials and has recommended the Math Thematics
series. The recommendation will be presented to the Fayetteville Board
of Education on Thursday, April 22. Copies of the textbooks are available
for public inspection at the school district administration offices at
1000 West Stone St. Click on a link below to view a particular topic:
Goal of the Program
Content
Unifying Concepts
Instructional Approach
GOAL
The Math Thematics program is a complete middle grades mathematics
curriculum designed to implement the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. The goal of
the program is to develop math power in all students. To develop math power,
we believe students must develop their abilities to:
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Reason logically
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Apply mathematical skills to real-world activities
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Communicate about and through mathematics
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View mathematics as relevant to their lives and connected to other areas
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Understand the connections among the different strands of mathematics
and the connections of mathematics to other content areas
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Feel confident in using quantitative and spatial information to make
decisions
Become independent learners with a desire for lifelong learning
Content
To ensure that a complete curriculum is provided, the learner outcomes
are organized in traditional strands: number, measurement, statistics,
algebra, geometry, probability, discrete mathematics, and problem solving.
However, the content:
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Is problem solving oriented
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Emphasizes critical thinking and reasoning over rote procedural drill
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Decreases the emphasis on review of "elementary" topics such as whole
number computation
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Increases emphasis on data analysis and statistics, proportional reasoning,
algebra, geometry, and discrete mathematics
Unifying
Concepts
Four unifying concepts, Proportional Reasoning, Multiple Representations,
Patterns and Generalizations, and Modeling, are used throughout the curriculum
to help students make connections and build mathematical conceptions.
The ability to reason proportionally, that is, to express one number
as a certain multiple of another, provides the basis for understanding
the concepts of ratio, rate, percent, proportions, slope, similarity, scale,
linear functions, and probability. Working with different representations
of concepts helps students understand mathematical ideas by providing for
different styles of learning. Multiple representations connect topics such
as coordinate systems and functions, fraction-decimal-percent representations,
and geometric representations of arithmetic concepts.
Identifying and describing numeric and geometric patterns and making,
testing, and applying generalizations about
the data gathered from problem situations are the tools students use
to develop algorithms and construct mathematical meaning. Modeling is the
process of taking a real-world problem, expressing it mathematically, finding
a solution, and then interpreting the solution in the real-world context.
It is the tool students use to connect mathematics to the real world. Examples
of problems that are modeled include decision making, population growth,
time/motion problems, games, and genetics.
Instructional
Approach
The instructional approach in Math Thematics is designed to involve
students in doing mathematics. They are actively engaged in:
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Investigating, discovering, and applying mathematics
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Using concrete materials to explore mathematical properties and relationships
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Working cooperatively
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Communicating their ideas orally and in writing
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Using technological tools when appropriate
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Integrating mathematical strands to solve real-world problems
Not all the instruction is through discovery learning. Direct instruction
on concepts and skills is included when appropriate.
For more information, contact Denise
Airola. Her phone number is 444-3000.
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updated March 31, 1999