Classifying Activities:

MTHT 450

Concepts in Elementary School Mathematics I

Fall 1998

To get the most from this class you should ask yourselves the followingquestions about each activity.

What mathematical principles or techniques does this activity illustrate?

What teaching methods are exemplified in this particular presentation?

How can I modify this activity for other situations?

The activities used in this classroom should provide supplements for your

classrooms. To make this most useful you should index all homework and class activities which are appropriate for grade school in the following way. (There will be some activities which are intended for you and are not appropriate for grade school students; omit them from this classification.)

1. Make a list of all the activities with a name and a brief description of each, a note of what concept they are best used to explain, and what grades they are appropriate for. Further, describe any teaching techniques that are exemplified by this activity.

2. Make a table with a row for each activity and the following columns: name; grade; number facts, counting, measurement, area and perimeter, estimation and approximation, variable, ratio, mathematical reasoning, the arithmetic operations, number sense.

(The list of columns is not definitive; we may add some; you may like to have a slightly different grouping. That is fine; this is a suggested list.)

In filling out this chart put a check mark for each column the activity illustrates and under grade put the grades that the activity could be used in.