Links of the Month
These links are from the January/February, 2007 issue of The Oregon Mathematics Teacher. For internet links from previous issues, see the Bookmark Archives.
Let’s take a look at the Curriculum Focal Points, recently presented by NCTM. I’ve often felt that the curriculum and textbooks we use in mathematics tend to mislead us into trying to cover too many topics each school year. I am pleased to see The Curriculum Focal Points.
The Curriculum Focal Points: NCTM presents these focal points as the most important mathematical topics for each grade level. Three curriculum focal points are identified and described for each grade level, pre-K–8. They comprise related ideas, concepts, skills, and procedures that form the foundation for understanding and lasting learning
http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/
NSDL: The National Science Digital Library is the Nation’s on line library for education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. There is a section devoted to resources and information for teachers, media specialists and others working with K-12 students.
TeachEngineering: This library is a collaborative project of students and staff at a number of Universities that includes Duke University, Oregon State University, and University of Colorado. The digital library provides teacher-tested, standards-based engineering content for K-12 teachers to use in science and math classrooms. Engineering lessons connect real-world experiences with curricular content already taught in K-12 classrooms.
http://www.teachengineering.org/index.php
All Kinds of Minds: Excellent articles on Thinking with Numbers, Math Problem Solving (Word Problems and Higher Math), and Complex Word Problems/Impact of Language, Attention, and Sequential Ordering. A must read!
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/learningBaseSubSkill.aspx?lbssid=10
PBS TeacherSource: Math Recommended Links are a great collection of links to sites such as Archimedes, AstroMath Project, Ballparks, Banking on our Future, and Activities to Help Enrich Mathematics. The math content of each of them is indicated.
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/recommended/math/lk_interdisciplinary.shtm
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: Math Is Everywhere: A Problem Solving Teaching Unit
This is a great example of a unit on math problem solving. Presented by Joseph A. Montagna, this unit is intended for middle school students.
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1980/7/80.07.10.x.html
Amby's Education Site: Math Resources are part of an extensive listing of educational resources. The Math Puzzles & Learning Activities include the most comprehensive listing I have seen.
http://amby.com/educate/mathgame.html
http://amby.com/educate/math.html#problems
Maths Net Isometric Drawing Tool: Use this interactive mathlet to create dynamic drawings on isometric dot paper. Draw figures using edges, faces, or cubes and shift, rotate, color, decompose, and view in 3D or 2D. Presented by Illuminations (NCTM and Marco Polo)
http://www.mathsnet.net/geometry/solid/isometric/index.html
