Somehow it is 6:30 pm when I am finally writing. Today I worked on the Day of Service Project and did some Easter Shopping.
Math - I ran across the article from the Teacher Network and thought about how to make teaching math exciting and relevant.
This less was titled: "My best lesson:turning maths pupils into second world war codebreakers by Charlotte King. Wow, how exciting. Of course I would tie this in to a book written during the second world war. I feel combining math with language arts helps make math come alive.
In this article, the teacher states as the students walk into her classroom, "It is no longer 2013 it is 1940 and the class just entered Hut 8 : Station X. The supply ships needed mathematical skills from the class to protect the ships. Wow, the class was engaged.
She stated with the most basic code, the ceasar shift code. Then she switch to the pigpen cipher. Then an urgent message from headquarters, "The German army is using a new codebreaking technique. All personnel must be retrained."
Now math seems relevant and can connect to social studies or language arts. "The Art of Keeping Cool" and the Diary of Ann Frank are novels which connect to this math assignment.
I also made up lessons for percent and decimals using "date night". Students had to go on a date and buy an outfit online, include tax and shipping. Use transportation to get to their destination, and pay tip. Buy a meal for two and calculate tax and tip.
Hands on manipulatives also help with understanding fractions, percents and decimals. I think when math is more relevant to the student there is more engagement and of course that helps the student, "Learn MATH!"
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