Singapore Math Program Used in Madison

Toy blocks are easy for little kids to understand, and that's why they're being used in this first grade math class.

Luke Felker is teaching these Madison first graders Math, through something called the Singapore program.

It's the same thing high–achieving Singapore students have been using for years, and it teaches kids using simple things like blocks.

Then it introduces word problems and eventually moves students into complex math problems they can do in their heads.

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Students show off math skills at competition

Kyle Hendrix trained nearly every day during the past month for the competition on Saturday.

The training paid off as Hendrix, a fourth-grade student at Woodland Elementary School, advanced to the finals in the countywide All-Star Math competition.

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What Your 6th Grader Needs To Know

What Your 5th Grader Needs To Know

What Your 4th Grader Needs To Know

What Your Third Grader Needs To Know

What Your Second Grader Needs To Know

What Your First Grader Needs To Know

What Your Kindergartner Needs To Know

Middle school students win math competition

A team of middle school mathletes" from the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham won the Regional MATHCOUNTS competition held at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 4. The top individual was David Xiao, also from the Cooperative Middle School.
Members of the winning team were: Daniel Lemeyer, Grant Levy, Emily Meade and David Xiao, led by coach Joshua Frost. Xiao, Meade, and Levy also placed as the first, second, and third respective top scoring individuals. The team will now advance to the state competition to be held in Plymouth in March.

The second and third place teams were Oyster River from Durham, and Timberlane Regional from Plaistow, respectively. MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide math enrichment, coaching and competition program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students. Over 6 million students across the U.S. have participated in the MATHCOUNTS program.

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It pays to be a math teacher!

"Math For America" selects college grads with strong math qualifications. The first year, they get $28,000 dollars and a scholarship to work full-time for a master's degree in math education.

Over next four years, they get $62,000 dollars on top of their teacher's salary to teach math in New York City public schools.


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Teacher instilled passion for math

John ''Johnny'' Williams loved math and tried to instill his fascination with numbers in the thousands of students he taught during his 30 years as a Miami-Dade public school math teacher.

``I didn't like math very much before that, but the way he taught, always using different strategies, really made me like math. I was so glad he was here. He was always so full of life.''


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Parents don't see a crisis over science and math

Science and math have zoomed to the top of the nation's education agenda. Yet Amanda Cook, a parent of two school-age girls, can't quite see the urgency.

"In Maine, there aren't many jobs that scream out 'math and science,"' said Cook, who lives in Etna, in the central part of the state. Yes, both topics are important, but "most parents are saying you're better off going to school for something there's a big need for."

Nationwide, a new poll shows, many parents are content with the science and math education their children get -- a starkly different view than that held by national leaders.

Fifty-seven percent of parents say "things are fine" with the amount of math and science being taught in their child's public school. High school parents seem particularly content -- 70 percent say their child gets the right amount of science and math.

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Math Counts Competition

Shelly Smola/Irving Math Teacher: "I have students that are intrinsically motivated already. They are so excited about math. They come in with the attitude that they want to learn, and when you have that attitude you can do anything."

Scott Welch, Irving 5th overall: "Study hard, take time, don't do it just once in a long time, just do it every single night, study as much as you can."

Of course this just isn't any competition, Math Counts is a contest that stretches the mind while teaching life long problem solving skills.

Shelly Smola/Irving Math Teacher: "In a lot math classes we don't get the opportunity, because we have so little time in the day to discuss higher level problems with kids, and this is wonderful because students with higher level reasoning - every aspect of life they will be more successful."

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Valerie Elementary student is queen of the spelling bee

Christine is a two-time city chess champion in her age group, is a member of Valerie's robotics team and won the school's punt, pass and kick competition.

She also swims, does karate, plays piano and loves math. Her math and science teacher, Marcella Barrett, was in the audience.

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Students put their mathematic knowledge to the test

The Math Wizards team from Spring Grove Elementary recently hosted a meet at the school on Monday, Jan. 30, when South League school teams from Fillmore Central, Houston, Kingsland, Lanesboro, Mabel-Canton, and Spring Grove competed in three different competitions as part of a Math Wizards meet.

Each meet consists of three different competitions – Math Wizards quiz, individual rounds, and team round. During the Math Wizards quiz, the students have five minutes to accurately answer as many of the 45 problems as possible without using a calculator.

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Teacher uses Olympic statistics to teach mathematic principles

More than 70 middle school students cast aside their math books Friday, trading calculations of fractions and decimals for a lesson in perseverance and teamwork.

With the 2006 Winter Olympics kicking off in Turin, Italy, Concord Middle School seventh-grade teacher Laurie Ferguson wanted her classes to catch the Olympic spirit.

But whether they realized it or not, as the games progress over the next two weeks and alpine descents are timed, judges' scores tallied and gold medals won or lost by tenths of seconds, these students will be learning, Ferguson said.

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INEW Test-Taking Tips

We have to take various tests starting from Kindergarten, elementary, junior-high, high school, college entrance exams, and applying for jobs. Since test-taking is part of our life, it is important to learn as early as possible how to take a test efficiently in order to get the optimal results.

The following test-taking tips will improve both your speed and accuracy.

During the test ...

Read the question and pay attention to keywords.
Do the problems starting from the easiest ones first, then move on to more difficult ones.
Do not spend too much time on problems that you are stuck on.
Do not get bogged down on any one question.
Skip the problems that you do not know how to solve on your first try. Come back to them later.
Do not hesitate to ask for clarification if you do not understand the instructions.
Keep careful track of your time. Do not rush but pace yourself. Do not watch the clock too often.
Write clearly so the instructor/grader can understand your answers.
Erase cleanly if you change your answers.
For multiple-choice questions, mark your answer clearly, otherwise the computer or grader will most likely mark your answer wrong.
For multiple-choice questions, examine the answer choices. They usually provide useful clues.
For multiple-choice questions, watch out for a tricky answer among the choices given.
For multiple-choice questions, do not do more work than necessary.
For multiple-choice questions, if you are unsure of an answer, see if you can eliminate one or more of the choices.
Do not try to solve the problem mentally. Write the solution down on scratch paper unless you can solve it very easily.
Writing the problem and solution down can help you to avoid careless mistakes.
Use your calculator wisely. Do not overuse it. Many problems can be solved without using a calculator at all.
Double check your answers when you have extra time especially the ones with large values.

Equipments, tools and other resources ...

Bring at least 2 pencils. Sharpen your pencils.
Bring a good eraser.
Bring a calculator with new batteries (if allowed).
Familiarize yourself with the calculator keys, functions, etc.
Bring a quiet watch to pace yourself during the test.
Bring other required resources (pens, ruler, scratch papers, ID, etc.) as instructed.

Miscellaneous ...

Practice, practice, practice! Nothing substitutes practice, especially in mathematics.
Watch your body language. Keep your eyes on your paper and table only. Avoid behaviors that could be mistaken for cheating.
Be prepared a few weeks before by studying incrementally.
Relax.
Have a good sleep prior to the test.
Have a good breakfast.
Bring drinking water and juice. Drink them during the break only.

INEW web site

Lake Washington School District Curriculum Program

Standards
The Curriculum Framework is a guide for teachers that specifically describes what students should know and do as they progress toward the goals of the Student Profile. The content, understandings, processes and skills in each subject area establish clear standards for student achievement at every level. Teachers use the Framework to design lessons that incorporate meaningful instruction and assessment strategies. The Curriculum Framework is based on five underlying themes.

A parent handbook* of the Curriculum Framework has been designed to aid parents in understanding the how the Curriculum Framework serves as the foundation for determining what our students should know and be able to do as they progress from kindergarten through high school graduation. The overriding purpose is to prepare all students for success in their future and ensure that they are as well educated as any in the world. That is what we mean when we say students in the Lake Washington School District receive a world-class education.

Basic Skills Plus
Reading, writing and mathematics serve as the foundation for everything we do in schools. The Student Profile and Curriculum Framework emphasize the basic skills, plus additional knowledge and skills students need to succeed now and into the 21st century. These include the use of technology to access information, the ability to solve problems and the skills to work effectively in groups.

Higher Standards
By applying their skills to challenging problems and issues, students will reach higher levels of achievement. The Student Profile and Curriculum Framework establish higher standards for all children.

Learning By Doing
Students learn best and remember knowledge and skills when they are actively involved and have opportunities to solve real world problems that have meaning to them. The Student Profile and Curriculum Framework encourage active student learning, investigation and problem solving.

Shared Vision
The Student Profile and Curriculum Framework provide curriculum that is consistent across the district and is connected from preschool through 12th grade. It provides a common guideline for teachers, students, parents and community members to understand the expectations we have for all students.

School, Family and Community Involvement
We must all work together to offer the education our students need and deserve. Our schools belong to the community and need community participation and support. Parents and teachers must work in partnership to ensure that each student is successful in achieving the high standards outlined in the Curriculum Framework. Community members can lend support by participating in opportunities provided to set district goals, evaluate progress, make recommendations and volunteer in schools.

Concept-based Curriculum Frameworks
The Curriculum Framework is a concept and process-based curriculum guide. It goes beyond the traditional fact and topical curriculum by identifying and organizing Concepts, Essential Understandings, Processes/Skills and Critical Content. This model encourages teachers to design instruction that will lead students toward greater depth in thinking and learning. Assessment is an ongoing part of instruction and students demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

Concepts
Concepts are organizing ideas, such as interdependence and diversity. They transfer across content areas, help students make connections and lead them to deeper levels of understanding that can be applied to present and future life situations.

Essential Understandings
Essential understandings are universal and timeless generalizations related to the concepts and content. Students construct these understandings or "big ideas" through investigation and exploration of topics and ideas. Essential Understandings answer the question often posed by students: Why am I learning this?

Guiding Questions
Guiding Questions are open-ended questions that drive investigation of topics and ideas toward conceptual levels of understanding. Guiding Questions can frame the activities and lessons that lead students toward Essential Understandings.

Processes/Skills
Processes combine a variety of skills into complex performances. Students develop basic skills in order to use processes such as reading, writing and thinking.

Critical Content
Critical Content is made up of the most important topics and factual knowledge in each academic content area.


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Fractal: Beautiful images created mathematically

Fractal -- a word coined by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975 to describe shapes that are "self-similar" -- that is, shapes that look the same at different magnifications. To create a fractal, you start with a simple shape and duplicate it successively according to a set of fixed rules. Oddly enough, such a simple formula for creating shapes can produce very complex structures, some of which have a striking resemblance to objects that appear in the real world

Fractal is a mathematically generated pattern that is reproducible at any magnification or reduction.

Sudoku: Creating a Sudoku with a class

Task: To create a 9x9 SuDoku grid.

Quick Task 1: Using only the numbers 1,2 and 3, arrange them in such a way so that 1,2 and 3 appear only once in each column and row.

Possible solutions



There are quite a few solutions. Younger children could investigate all the different ways you can make a 123 grid.

Ask pupils how they achieved their grids. Explain that using a methodical method of shifting the numbers along will produce a suitable grid.

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Sudoku

Sudoku (Japanese: 数独, sūdoku), sometimes spelled Su Doku, is a logic-based placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States. The aim of the canonical puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"). Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. Although first published in a U. S. puzzle magazine in 1979, Sudoku initially caught on in Japan in 1986 and attained international popularity in 2005. The first world championship will be in Lucca(Italy) from 10 to 12 March 2006.

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Math problems from Canada

1) How many addition signs should be put between digits of the number 987654321 and where should we put them to get a total of 99?

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2) Divide the face of the clock into three parts with two lines so that the sum of the numbers in the three parts are equal.

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3) According to experts the first 4 moves in a chess game can be played in 197299 totally different ways. If it takes 30 seconds to make one move, how long would it take one player to try every possible set of 4 moves?

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4) Batman has been imprisoned by the Riddler. To escape he must find the quickest way to move the tower of plutonium disks from one post to another so that the disks have the same arrangement as on the original post. He may move only one disk at a time. What is the minimum number of moves he must make in order to move the ten disk tower and have it appear the same?

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5) A man has to be at work by 9:00 a.m. and it takes him 15 minutes to get dressed, 20 minutes to eat and 35 minutes to walk to work. What time should he get up?

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More problems and answers...

Case High students are first place in math

RACINE — Quick: How many positive two-digit numbers are multiples of three but have no digit that is a multiple of three?

Members of Case High School’s math team had three minutes to answer a question like the one above — and two others — during a recent national competition. And, they pulled it off.

The team found out Friday they placed first among other high schools from across the country to win the the 2005 Ciphering Time Trials, a national mathematics competition contest administered by National Assessment & Testing.

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Home-schooled kids excel in math competition

One of the most exciting parts of the competition is the group project. Playing on the popularity of the TV series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, four-student teams use their math skills to design a back yard with a pool and spa, estimate the amount of carpet, paint and blinds to buy and the best place to get it. Once the decisions are made, the design team has to provide a written explanation for the answers.

"He's very self-motivated. He wants to do his best," Michelle said. "We just try to keep up the best we can."

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Math competition multiplies fun, adds challenges

Bedford Heights-The students were, for the most part, silent. Hard to imagine, with 140 of them together in an auditorium Thursday at Columbus Intermediate School.

They were strategizing, calculating, madly scribbling equations, trying to beat the clock.

And they were having fun

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Ohio Students participate in math competition

AKRON - Ninety-four students from 15 area middle schools participated in this year's Akron-area MATHCOUNTS competition at the University of Akron Student Union on Saturday.
Copley-Fairlawn and Revere middle schools took first and second place, respectively. They will compete at the state competition in Columbus on March 11.
Individual qualifiers for the state competition include Karan Bains, Old Trail School, Bath Township; Mitch Tomazic, Claggett Middle School, Medina; Timothy Murphy and Megan Flinta, Kimpton Middle School in Stow-Munroe Falls schools; Alex Stopar, Copley-Fairlawn Middle School; and Alex Szymborski, Holy Family School, Stow.

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