Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics, with Student Resource CD

by Rubenstein , Rheta N.; Beckmann, Charlene E.; Thompson, Denisse R.

• ISBN13: 9780470413500
• ISBN10: 0470413506
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-16
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

Transitioning between two worlds, students in the middle grades (4-9) are no longer elementary students but are not quite ready for the challenges of secondary school. The state departments of education are beginning to recognize that the preparation of teachers for these students must change. Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics is the ideal text for future teachers who are completing their pre-service instruction. Through readings, lessons, sample middle grades exercises, and more, future teachers learn to address the teaching and learning of algebraic and geometric thinking at the level appropriate for middle grades students. The lessons in this text follow a popular collaborative teaching method used in middle schools called Launch, Explore, Share and Summarize that involves very little lecturing, a lot of group work, and class discussions. Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics will serve as a life long resources to students, as each lesson is filled with student pages which are worksheets that can be modified for use in actual middle grades classrooms. The text comes packaged with a CD-ROM that will be a valuable resource, containing professional readings that correlate directly to the lessons in the text.

Author Biography

Rheta N. Rubenstein is the author of Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics, published by Wiley.

Charlene E. Beckmann is the author of Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

Annotated Contents

Foreword

Preface and Acknowledgments

Welcome

Course Introduction

Introductory Lesson

Mathematics Education: Where Do I Stand?

Getting to Know Colleagues: Uniquely Us

A Learning Community

Mathematics Strand: Reasoning with Patterns and Algebra

Introduction

Figurate Numbers

Preparing to Interview Students about Reasoning with Patterns

Problem Solving: Careful Counting

Reasoning and Proof: Patterns and Multiplication

Generalizing from Patterns: The Concept of Variable

Using Experiments: Exploring Graphs and Lines

Learning with Materials: Integers and Equations

Using Contexts: Functions

Using Interviews to Understand Students' Reasoning with Patterns

Synthesizing Unit One

The Learning of Mathematics

Mathematics Strand: Rational Numbers and their Uses

Introduction

Unit Two Investigation: Four Fours

Preparing to Interview Students about Proportional Reasoning

Using Multiple Representations: Rational Numbers

Using Learning Theory: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents

Developing Meanings of Operations: Addition and Subtraction

Developing Meanings of Operations: Multiplication and Division

Analyzing Student Thinking: Proportional Reasoning

Using Interviews to Understand Students' Proportional Reasoning

Synthesizing Unit Two

Planning and Instruction

Mathematics Strand: Geometry, Measurement, and Transformations

Introduction

Unit Three Investigation: Historical Formulas

Preparing to Interview Students about Perimeter and Area

Identifying Worthwhile Mathematical Tasks: Measurement Formulas

Lesson Planning: Proportions among Measures in Similar Figures

Guided Discovery: Quadrilaterals

Open-Ended Exploration: Tessellations

Integrating Direct Instruction with Guided Discovery: Transformations

Effective Classroom Discourse: The Pythagorean Theorem

Using Interviews to Plan Instruction on Perimeter and Area

Synthesizing Unit Three

Assessment

Mathematics Strand: Data Analysis and Probability

Introduction

Unit Four Investigation: Pascal's Triangle

Preparing to Interview Students about Their Views on Assessment

Multiple Uses of Assessment: Categorical and Discrete Data

Assessment That Highlights Students' Thinking: Continuous Data

Managing and Grading Every Day: Introduction to Probability

Rubrics and Their Uses: Systematic Counts for Probabilities

Issues in Developing and Using Tests

Using Interviews to Develop a Classroom Assessment Plan

Synthesizing Unit Four

Collaborating with Educational Partners

Introduction

Preparing to Interview Educational Partners

Curriculum Integration

Facilitating Educational Growth

Evaluating Curriculum Materials

Using Interviews to Prepare for Educational Collaboration

Synthesizing Unit Five

Appendices

References and Permissions

Index

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