DOCUMENT RESUME ED 355 122 SE 053 493 · mathematics problem solver, communicating mathematics, and how to use the book. Twenty-six activities are presented that incorporate games,

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DOCUMENT RESUME

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Kanter, Patsy F.; Dorfman, Cynthia Hearn, Ed.Helping Your Child Learn Math with Activities forChildren Aged 5 through 13.Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washinb_on, DC.ED/OER1-92-39Dec 9268p.U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent ofDocuments, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9S28(GPO stock no. 0065-000-00527-1).Guides Non Classroom Use (055)

MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.Discovery Learning; Elementary Education; ElementarySchool Mathematics; Elementary School Students;*Enrichment Activities; Experiential Learning;Learning Activities; Mathematical Concepts;*Mathematical Enrichment; Mathematics Education;Mathematics Instruction; *Mathematics Skills; ParentAttitudes; *Parents as Teachers; Problem Solving;Student Attitudes*Hands on Experience; *National Education Goals1990

This booklet: is one in a series on differenteducation topics intended to help parents make the most of theirchild's natural curiosity and become an integral part of reaching theNational Education Goals as set forth by the President and governorsin 1990. The book suggests ways that parents can generate interest inmathematics in children aged 5-13. Three initial sections discussideas parents need to consider when working with their children.Concepts discussed incltide the importance of mathematics, parents'and students' attitudes toward mathematics, the meaning of being amathematics problem solver, communicating mathematics, and how to usethe book. Twenty-six activities are presented that incorporate games,problem solving, and hands-on experiences to teach mathematicalconcepts. The activities are divided into three categories: (1) Math

in the Home (e.g., money match, name that coin, treasure hunt); (2)

Mathland: The Grocery Store (scan it, get into shape, weighing in);

and (3) Math on the Go (e.g., license plates, number search). Topics

covered in the activities include: measurement, estimation,probability, computation, fractions, data collection andrepresentation, graphing, and geometry. Each activity includes threeparts: purpose, material needed and "what to do." Appendices provide

suggestions to support a positive mathematics environment in thelocal school, a sample from the National Council of Teachers ofMathematics' "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards," and a list ofover 50 supplementary resources for parents and children. (MDH)

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Helping Your ChildLearn Mathwith activities for children

aged 5 through 13

By Patsy F. Kanter

Edited by Cynthia Hearn DorfmanIllustrated by Jerry Guillot

with contributions from Brian A. Griffin

U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

U.S. Department of EducationLamar AlexanderSecretary

Office of Educational Research and ImprovementDiane RavitchAssistant Secretary

France AlexanderDeputy Assistant Secretary

for Policy and Planning

This book is in the public domain. Authorization toreproduce it in whole or in part for educational purposesis granted.

The contents of this book were prepared by the Office ofEducational Research and Improvement, U.S. Departmentof Education. Listing of materials in this book by the U.S.Department of Education should not be construed orinterpreted as an endorsement by the Department of anyprivate organization or business named herein.

December 1992

The idea for this publication was suggested by DianeRavitch when she presented her vision of OERI to theeducation community. This book was prepared under thedirection of Francie Alexander: Cynthia Hearn Dorfman,Chief, Publications Branch: Liz Barnes, Program Analyst;and Theodor Rebarber, Special Assistant, Office of theAssistant Secretary; with help from John B. Lyons, ThelmaLeenhouts, Gerard Devlin and Tim Burr. The book isbased on the award-winning design by Margery Martinand Phil Carr.

Ordering Information

For information on the price of single copies or bulkquantities of this book, call the U.S. Government PrintingOffice Order Desk at 202/783-3238. The GPO stocknumber for this book is 0065-000-00527-1.

Foreword"Why?"

This is the question we parents are always trying toanswer. It's good that children ask questions: that's thebest way to learn. All children have two wonderfulresources for learningimagination and curiosity. Asa parent, you can awaken your children to the joy oflearning by encouraging their imagination and curiosity.

Helping Your Child Learn Math is one in a series ofbooks on different education topics intended to helpyou make the most of your child's natural curiosity.Teaching and learning are not mysteries that can onlyhappen in school. They also happen when parents andchildren do simple things together.

For instance, you and your child can: sort socks onlaundry daysorting is a major function in math andscience; cook a meal togethercooking involves notonly math and science but good health as well; tell andread each other storiesstorytelling is the basis forreading and writing (and a story about the past is alsohistory); or play a game of hopscotch togetherplayingphysical games will help your child learn to count andstart on a road to lifelong fitness.

By doing things together, you will show that learning isfun and important. You will be encouraging your childto study, learn, and stay in school.

All of the books in this series tie in with the NationalEducation Goals set by the President and theGovernors. The goals state that, by the year 2000: everychild will start school ready to learn; at least 90 percentof all students will graduate from high school; eachAmerican student will ,eave the 4th, 8th, and 12thgrades demonstrating competence in core subjects; U.S.students will be first in the world in math and scienceachievement; every American adult will be literate, will

iii

have the skills necessary to compete in a globaleconomy, and will be able to exercise the rights andresponsibilities of citizenship; and American schools willbe liberated from drugs and violence so they can focuson learning.

This book is a way for you to help meet these goals. Itwill give you a short rundown on facts, but the biggestpart of the book is made up of simple, fun activities foryou and your child to do together. Your child may evenbeg you to do them. At the end of the book is a list ofresources, so you can continue the fun.

As U.S. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander has said:

The first teachers are the parents, both by exampleand conversation. But don't think of it as teaching.Think of it as fun.

So, let's get started. I invite you to find an activity in thisbook and try it.

Diane RavitchAssistant Secretary and

Counselor to the Secretary

iv

ContentsForeword iii

Introduction 1

The Basics 5

Important Things To Know 7

Math in the Home 11

Picture Puzzle 12

More or Less 13

Problem Solvers 14

Card Smarts 16

Fill It Up 18

Half Full, Half Empty 20

Name that Coin 22

Money Match 24

Money's Worth 26

In the News 28

Look It Up 29

Newspaper Search 30

Treasure Hunt 32

Farr ly Portrait 34

Mathland: The Grocery Store 35

Get Ready 36

Scan It 37

Weighing In 38

Get into Shapes 40

Check Out 42

It's in the Bag 43

Put It Away 44

Math on the Go 45

Number Search 46

License Plates 47

Total It 48How Long? How Far? 49Guess If You Can 50

AppendicesParents and the fichools 52What Should I Expect from a Math Program? 53Resources 54

Acknowledgments 57

vi

-* -,

IntroductionMost parents will agree that it is a wonderfulexperience to cuddle up with their child and a goodbook. Few people will say that about flash cards orpages of math problems. For that reason, we haveprepared this booklet to offer some math activities thatare meaningful as well as fun. You might want to trydoing some of them to help your child explorerelationships, solve problems, and see math in a positivelight. These activities use materials that are easy to find.They have been planned so you and your child mightsee that math is not just work we do at school but,rather, a part of life.

It is important for home and school to join hands. Byfostering a positive attitude about math at home, wecan help our children learn math at school.

..,

1

2

It's Everywhere! It's Everywhere!Math is everywhere and yet, we may not recognize itbecause it doesn't look like the math we did in school.Math in the world around us sometimes seems invisible.But math is present in our world all the timein theworkplace, in our homes, and in life in general.

You may be asking yourself, "How is math everywherein my life? I'm not an engineer or an accountant or acomputer expert!" Math is in your life from the time youwake until the time you go to sleep. You are using matheach time you set your alarm, buy groceries, mix ababy's formula, keep score or time at an athletic event,wallpaper a room, decide what type of tennis shoe tobuy, or wrap a present. Have you ever asked yourself,"Did I get the correct change?" or "Do I have enoughgasoline to drive 20 miles?" or "Do I have enough juiceto fill all my children's thermoses for lunch?" or "Do Ihave enough bread for the week?" Math is all this andmuch, much more.

How Do You Feel About Math?

How do you feel about math? Your feelings will have animpact on iiow your children think about math andthemselves as mathematicians. Take a few minutes toanswer these questions:

Did you like math in school?

Do you think anyone can learn math?

Do you think of math as useful in everyday life?

Do you believe that most jobs today require mathskills?

If you answer "yes" to most of these questions, then youare probably encouraging your child to thinkmathematically. This book contains some ideas that willhelp reinforce these positive attitudes about math.

13

You Can Do It!

If you feel uncomfortable about math, here are someideas to think about.

Math is a very important skill, one which we will allneed for the future in our technological world. It isimportant for you to encourage your children to thinkof themselves 79 mathematicians who can reason andsolve problems.

Math is a subject for all people. Math is not a subjectthat men can do better than women. Males and femaleshave equally strong potential in math.

People in the fine arts also need math. They need mathnot only to survive in the world, but each of their areasof specialty requires an in-depth understanding of somemath, from something as obvious as the size of a canvas,to the beats in music, to the number of seats in anaudience, to computer-generated artwork.

Calculators and computers require us to be equallystrong in math. Their presence does not mean there isless need for knowing math. Calculators demand thatpeople have strong mental math skillsthat they cando math in their heads. A calculator is only as accurateas the person putting in the numbers. It can compute;it cannot think! Therefore, we must be the thinkers. Wemust know what answers are reasonable and whatanswers are outrageously large or small.

Positive attitudes about math are important for ourcountry. The United States is the only advancedindustrial nation where people are quick to admit that"I am not good ia math." We need to change thisattitude, because mathematicians are a key to ourfuture.

The workplace is rapidly changing. No longer do peopleneed only the computational skills they once needed in

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the 1940s. Now workers need to be able to estimate, tocommunicate mathematically, and to reason within amathematical context. Because our world is sotechnologically oriented, employees need to have quickreasoning and problem-solving skills and the capabilityto solve problems together. The work force will need tobe confident in math.

Build Your Self-Confidence!To be mathematically confident means to realize theimportance of mathematics and feel capable of learningto

Use mathematics with ease;

Solve problems and work with others to do so;

Demonstrate strong reasoning ability;

See more than one way to approach a problem;

Apply mathematical ideas to other situations; and

Use technology.

The BasicsYou may have noticed that we are talking about"mathematics"the subject that incorporates numbers,shapes, patterns, estimation, and measurement, and theconcepts that relate to them. You probably rememberstudying "arithmetic"adding, subtracting, multiplying,and dividingwhen you were in elementary school.Now, children are starting right away to learn about thebroad ideas associated with math, including problemsolving, communicating mathematically, and reasoning.

Kindergarteners are building bar graphs ofbirthdayca'ces to show which month has the most birthdays forthe most children in the class. Second graders are ush,6pizzas to learn fractions, and measurements are beingtaken using items other than rulers (for example, theillustrator of this book used his thumb to determinehow large the pictures of the pizzas should be inproportion to the size of the words on the activitiespages).

What Does It Mean To

Be a Problem Solver,

Communicate Mathematically, and

Demonstrate Reasoning Ability?

A problem solver is someone who questions,investigates, and explores solutions to problems;demonstrates the ability to stick with a problem fordays, if necessary, to find a workable solution; usesdifferent strategies to arrive at an answer; considersmany different answers as possibilities; and appliesmath to everyday situations and uses it successfully.

To communicate mathematically means to use wordsor mathematical symbols to explain real life; to talk

about how you arrived at an answer; to listen to others'ways of thinking and perhaps alter their thinking; to usepictures to explain something; to write about math, notjust give an answer.

To demonstrate reasoning ability is to justify andexplain one's thinking about math; to think logically andbe able to explain similarities and differences aboutthings and make choices based on those differences;and to think about relationships between things andtalk about them.

How Do I Use this Book?

This book is divided into introductory material thatexplains the basic principles behind the currentapproach to math, sections on activities you can dowith your children, and lists of resources. The activitiestake place in three locations: the home, the grocerystore, and in transit.

The activities are arranged at increasingly harder levelsof difficulty. Look for the circles, squares, and trianglesthat indicate the level of difficulty. The means thata child in kindergarten through 1st grade couldprobably play the game, the is for those in grades2 and 3, and the A signals an activity for a child ingrades 4 through 8.

The activities you choose and the level of difficultyreally depend on your child's ability; if your child seemsready, you might want to go straight to the mostdifficult ones.

The shaded. box on an activity page contains theanswer or a simple explanation of the mathematicalconcept behind the activity so that you can explainwhen your child asks, "Why are we doing this?"

With these few signs to follow along the way, your mathjourney begins.

6 1 .1:

Important Things To KnowIt is highly likely that when you studied math, you wereexpected to complete lots of problems accurately andquickly. There was only one way to arrive at youranswers, and it was believed that the best way toimprove math ability was to do more problems and todo them fast. Today, the focus is less on the quantity ofmemorized problems, and more on understanding theconcepts and applying thinking skills to arrive at ananswer. I

Wrong Answers Can Help!

While accuracy is always important, a wrong answermay help you and your child discover what your childmay not understand. You might find some of thesethoughts helpful when thinking about wrong answers.

Above all be patient. All childrzn want to succeed.They don't want red marks or incorrect answers. Theywant to be proud and to make you and the teacherproud. So, the wrong answer tells you to look further,to ask questions, and to see what the wrong answer issaying about the child's understanding.

Sometimes, the wrong answer to a problem might bebecause the child thinks the problem is askinganother question. For example, when children see theproblem 4 + = 9, they often respond with an answerof 13. That is because they think the problem is asking"What is 4+9?", instead of "4 plus what missing amountequals 9?"

Ask your child to explain how the problem wassolved. The response might help you discover if yourchild needs help with the procedures, the number facts,or the concepts involved.

17o 7

8

You may have learned something the teacher mightfind helpful. A short note or call will alert the teacherto possible ways of helping your child.

Help your children be risk takers: help them see thevalue of examining a wrong answer; assure them thatthe right answers will come with proper understanding.

Problems Can Be Solved Different Ways

Through the years, we have learned that while problemsin math may have only one solution, there may be manyways to get the right answer. When working on mathproblems with your child, ask, "Could you tell me howyou got that answer?" Your child's way might bedifferent than yours. If the answer is correct and thestrategy or way of solving it has worked, it is a greatalternative. By encouraging children to talk about whatthey are thinking, we help them to become strongermathematicians and independent thinkers.

Doing Math in Your Head IsImportantHave you ever noticed that today very few people taketheir pencil and paper out to solve problems in thegrocery, fast food, or department store or in the office?Instead, most people estimate in their heads.

Calculators and computers demand that people put inthe correct information and that they know if theanswers are reasonable. Usually people look at theanswer to determine if it makes sense, applying themath in their heads to the problem. This, then, is thereason why doing math in their heads is so importantto our children as they enter the 21st century.

You can help your child become a strongermather.natician by trying some of these ideas to fostermental math skills:

1 t)

1. Help children do mental math with lots of smallnumbers in their heads until they develop quick andaccurate responses. Questions such as, "If I have 4 cups,and I need 7, how many more do I need?" or "If I need12 drinks for the class, how many packages of 3 drinkswill I need 'op buy?"

2. Encourage your child to estimate the answer. Whenestimating, try to use numbers to make it easy to solveproblems quickly in your head to determine areasonable answer. For example, when figuring 18 plus29, an easy way to get a "close" answer is to think about20 + 30, or 50.

3. As explained earlier, allow your children to usestrategies that make sense to them.

4. Ask often, "Is your answer reasonable?" Is itreasonable that I added 17 and 35 and got 367? Why?

Why not?

9

What Jobs Require Math?All jobs need math in one way or another. From thesimplest thought of how long it will take to get to workto determining how much weight a bridge can hold, alljobs require math.

If you took a survey, you would find that everyone usesmath: the school teacher, the fast food worker, thedoctor, the gas station attendant, the lawyer, thehousewife, the painter.

10

Math in the HomeThis section provides the opportunity to use games andactivities at home to explore math with your child. Theactivities are intended to be fun and inviting, usinghousehold items. Please note that the activities for K-1st grade are marked with a., the activities for grades2 and 3 with all, and activities for grades 4 through 8with a.411..

:remember,

This is an opportunity for you and your child to "talkmath," that is to communicate about math whileinvestigating relationships.

If something is too difficult, choose an easier activityor skip it until your child is older.

Have fun!

1p11

PictureAf Puzzle

Using symbols to stand for numbers can helpmake math fun and easier for young childrento understand.

What you'll need What to do

PaperPencilCrayons

Most children feelcomfortable drawingpictures. Using pictures todepict numbers helpschildren learn to count andintroduces them to the ideathat symbols on a page canrepresent amounts.

12

1 Choose some symbols that your child can easilydraw to stand for is and lOs (if your child isolder, include 100s and 1,000s).

A face could be 10s, and

a bow could be ls.

2. List some numbers and have your child depictthem.

For example:

15 = 22 =

45 =

642

104 64 601 NO64

More orLessPlaying cards is a fun way for chilaren to usenumbers.

What you'll need

Coin2 decks of cardsScratch paper to keep score

What to do

2.

3.

Flip a coin to tell if the winner of this game willbe the person with "more" (a greater value card)or "less" (a smaller value card).

Remove all face cards (jacks, queens, and kings)and divide the remaining cards in the stackbetween the two players.

Place the cards face down. Each player turnsover one card and compares: Is mine more orless? How many more? How many less?

This game for young children encourages numbersense and helps them learn about the relationshipsof numbers (more or less than) and about adding andsubtracting. By counting the shapes on the cards andlooking at the printed numbers on the card, they canlearn to relate the number of objects to the numeral.

13

What you'll need

Deck of cardsPaperPencil

14

ProblemSolversThese games involve problem solving,computation, understanding number values,and chance.

What to do

1. Super sums. Each player should write thenumbers 1-12 on a piece of paper. The object ofthe game is to be the first one to cross off all thenumbers on this list.

Use only the cards 1-6 in every suit (hearts, clubs,spades, diamonds). Each player picks two cardsand adds up the numbers on them. The playerscan choose to mark off the numbers on the listby using the total value or crossing off two orthree numbers that make that value. Forexample, if the player picks a 5 and a 6, theplayer can choose to cross out 11, or 5 and 6, or7 and 4, or 8 and 3, or 9 and 2, or 10 and 1, or 1,2, and 8.

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2. Make 100. Take out all the cards from the deckexcept ace through 6. Each player draws 8 cardsfrom the deck. Each player decides whether touse a card in the tens place or the ones place sothat the numbers total as close to 100 as possiblewithout going over. For example, if a playerdraws two is (aces), a 2, a 5, two 3s, a 4, and a6, he can choose to use the numerals in thefollowing war

30, 40, 10, 5, 6, 1, 3, 2. This adds up to 97.

NI1111111111a

These games help children develop different ways tosee and work with numbers by using them in differentcombinations to achieve a goal.

15

Card SmartsHave your children sharpen their math skillseven more.


Deck of cardsPaperPencil

4+

16

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1 How many numbers can we make? Give eachplayer a piece of paper and a pencil. Using thecards from 1 (ace)-9, deal 4 cards out with thenumbers showing. Using all four cards and achoice of any combination of addition,subtraction, multiplication, and division, haveeach player see how many different answers aperson can get in 5 minutes. Players get one pointfor each answer. For example, suppose the cardsdrawn are 4, 8, 9, and 2. What numbers can bemade?

4+9+8+2=23 4+9-(8+2)=3 (8-4)x(9-2)=28(9-8)x(4-2)=2

2. Make the most of it. This game is played withcards from 1 (ace) to 9. Each player alternatesdrawing one card at a time, trying to create thelargest 5-digit number possible. As the cards aredrawn, each player puts the cards down in their"place" (ten thousands, thousands, hundreds,tens, ones) with the numbers showing. One roundgoes until each player has 6 cards. At that point,each player chooses one card to throw out tomake the largest 5-digit number possible.

9

3. Fraction fun. This game is played with cards 1(ace) 10, and 2 players. Each player receivesone-half of the cards. Players turn over 2 cardseach at the same time. Each player tries to makethe largest fraction by putting the 2 cardstogether. The players compare their fractions tose whose is larger. For example, if you are givena 3 and a 5, the fraction 3/5 would be made; ifthe other person is given a 2 and an 8, thefraction is 2/8. Which is larger? The largerfraction takes all cards and play continues untilone player has all the cards.

Players can develop strategies for using their cards,and this is where the math skills come in.

MAKE 114E. MOST OF IT/+. 4b 01 V

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17

What you'll need

Empty containers in differentshapes (yogurt cups,margarine tubs, juice boxeswith tops cut off, pie tins)

Rice, popcorn kernels, orwater

MarkerMasking tapePaper

18

Fill It UpChildren enjoy exploring measurement andestimation. Empty containers can provideopportunities to explore comparisons,measurement, estimation, and geometry.

What to do

1 Have your child choose an empty container eachday and label it for the day by writing the day ona piece of masking tape and sticking it on thecontainer.

2.

3.

Discover which containers hold more than, lessthan, or the same as the container chosen forthat day by

filling the day's container with water, uncookedrice, or popcorn kernels; and

pouring the substance from that container intoanother one. Is the container full, not full, oroverflowing? Ask your child, "Does this meanthe second container holds more than the first,less, or the same?"

Ask your child questions to encouragecomparison, estimation. and thinking aboutmeasurement.

4.

5.

Put all the containers that hold more in one spot,those that hold less in another, and those thathold the same in yet another. Label the areas"more," "less," and "the same."

After the containers have been sorted, ash, "Dowe have more containers that hold more, holdless, or hold the same? How many containers arein each category'?"

LESS

The process of predicting, filling the containers, andcomparing how much each will hold, gives your childthe opportunity to experiment with measurementwithout worrying about exact answers.

9 -1 19

What you'll need

Clear container with straightsides, that holds at least 4cups

Masking tapeMarkerMeasuring cup with 1, 1/2,

1/4, 1/8 cup measures onit

Uncooked rice, popcornkernels, or water

Other containers with whichto compare

20

Half Full,Half EmptyIt is helpful to explore whole numbers andfractions through measurement andestimation. Children can see relationshipsand the usefulness of studying fractions.

What to do

1 Have your child run a piece of masking tape upthe side of the container so that it is straightfrom the bottom to the top.

2.

3.

4.

For younger children, use a 1-cup measure. Forolder children, use a 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 cupmeasure. Pour the chosen amount of a substancelisted above into the container.

Mark the level of the jar on the masking tape bydrawing a line with a marker and writing 1 forone cup or 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 on the line.

Follow this procedure until the container is full,and the tape is marked in increments to the topof the container. Now, the jar is marked evenly tomeasure the capacity of other containers.

r;-%

5. While filling different containers, ask your child"thinking" questions.

How many whole cups do you think thiscontainer will hold?How many 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 cups do you thinkthe container will hold?

How many 1/2 cups equal a cup?

How many 1/4 cups equal a 1/2 cup? A cup?How many 1/8 cups equal a 1/4 cup? A 1/2cup? A 1/8 cup?

Tr

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9

This activity provides a "hands-on" opportunity for children toexperience fractions whilemaking connections to thereal world.

21

What you'll need

PennyNickelDimeQuarter

22

Name thatCoinChildren love to look at coins but sometimescannot identify the coins or determine theirvalue.

What to do

1 . Look at the coins and talk about what color theyare, the pictures on them, and what they areworth.

2. Put a penny, nickel, and dime on the floor ortable.

3. Tell your child that you are thinking of a coin.

4. Give your child hints to figure out which coin youare thinking of. For example, "My coin has a manon one side, a building on the other."

5. Let your child think about what you have said bylooking at the coins.

6. Ask, "Can you make a guess?"

70 Add another clue: "My coin is silver."

8. Keep giving clues until your child guesses the

9.coin.

Add the quarter to the coins on the table andcontinue the game.

1 0. Have your child give you clues for you to guessthe coin.

This guessing game helps young children learn torecognize coins and develop problem-solving andhigher level thinking skills.

MoneyMatchThis game helps children count change. Lotsof repetition will make it even more effective.


A die to roll10 of each coin (penny, nickel,

dime)6 quarters

41.

24

1 . For young players (5- and 6-year-olds), use only2 different coins (pennies and nickels or nickelsand dimes). Older children can use all coins.

2. Explain that the object of the game is to be thefirst player to earn a set amount (10 or 20 centsis a good amount).

3. The first player rolls the die and gets the numberof pennies shown on the die.

4. Players take turns rolling the die to collectadditional coins.

5. As each player accumulates 5 pennies or more,the 5 pennies are traded for a nickel.

6. The first player to reach the set amount wins.

7. Add the quarter to the game when the childrenare ready.

Counting money, which involves counting by Is, 5s,10s, and 25s, is a challenging skill and usually doesnot come easily t) children until about the thirdgrade.

1_6= VEtJN1ES

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75 5: QUARTERS

What you'll need

CoinsCoupons

26

Money'sWorthWhen children use coins to play games, it mayhelp them use coins in real life situations.

What to do

1. Coin clues. Ask your child to gather some changein his or her hand without showing what it is.Start with amounts of 25 cents or less. Ask yourchild to tell you how much money and how manycoins there are. Guess which coins are being held.For example, "I have 17 cents and 5 coins. Whatcoins do I have?" (3 nickels and 2 pennies.)

Clip and save. Cut out coupons and tell howmuch money is saved with coins. For example, ifyou save 20 cents on detergent, say 2 dimes. Askyour child what could be purchased using thesavings from the coupon. A pack of gum? Apencil? How much money could be saved with 3,4, or 5 coupons? How could that money becounted out in coins and bills? What could bepurchased with that savings? A pack of schoolpaper? A magazine? How much money could besaved with coupons for a week's worth ofgroceries? How would that money be countedout? What could be purchased with that savings?A book? A movie ticket?

Q

Counting money involves thinking in patterns orgroups of amounts: ls, 5s, 10s, 25s. Start theseactivities by having your child first separate the coinsor coupons by types: all the pennies together, all thenickels, all the dimes, all the quarters; the coupons forcereal, the coupons for cake and brownie mixes, thecoupons for soap.

27

In the NewsYoung children love to look at the newspaper.It is fun for them to realize that there arethings for them to see and do with the paper.


NewspaperGluePaperScissorsPencil or crayon

28

1

2.

Newspaper numbers. Help your child look forthe numbers 1-100 in the paper. Cut the numbersout and glue them in order onto a large piece ofpaper. i7,-;r children who cannot count to 100 orrecognize numerals that large, only collect up tothe number they do know. Have your child saythe numbers to you and practice counting.Collect only numbers within a certain range, likethe numbers between 20 and 30. Arrange thenumbers on a chart, grouping all the numberswith 2s in them, all the numbers with 5s, and soon.

Counting book. Cut out pictures from thenewspaper and use them to make a countingbook. Page one will have one thing on it, page 2will have 2 things that are alike, page 3 will have3 things that are alike, and so on. All the thingson the pages have to be the same. At the bottomof each page, write the number of items on thepage and the word for the item. Have your childdictate a story to you about what is on the page.

Being able to read and understand the newspaperinvolves more than just the ability to read the wordsand understand what they say. It also involves theability to read and understand numbers.

t)

Look It UpThese activities help children understand howitems can be organized and grouped in logicalways.

What you'll need

NewspaperPaperScissorsGlue

Understanding that thereis a logical order to the waythings are arranged in thenewspaper, and in the bookof solids, helps show thatmath skills can be used inorganizing written material.Comparing information,such as the sale prices atstores, also helps childrensee logical relationshipsthat can be applied towriting.

What to do

1 Section selection. Show your child that thepaper is divided into different sections andexplain that each section serves a purpose. Showhim that each section is lettered and how thepages are numbered.

2.

3.

Ad adventure. Provide your child with grocerystore ads from the newspaper. Help him see howmany items are listed and the prices. Comparethe prices at different stores. Ask which store hasthe best bargain and why. Talk about thedifference in prices between items bought atregular price, items on sale, and items boughtwith coupons. What happens when an item isbought on sale and bought with a coupon?

Solid search. Look at the store ads or couponsfor pictures of all the cylinders, boxes, or cubesyou can find. What are their different uses? Pastethe pictures on paper and make a "book ofgeometric solids." Have one page for each solid.

--...

alia3ER

I29

NewspaperSearchSearch through the newspaper formathematical data.


Newspaper

30

1 Numbers in the news. Find the following thingsin the paper:

a grapha number less than 10something that comes in 2s, 3s, 4sa number more than 50the days of the weeka number more than 100a number that is more than 100 but less than

999a symbol or word for inches, feet, or yardsa schedule of some kinda trianglea weather symbola percent signsports statistics

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2

3

List it. Provide your child with the grocerysection of the newspaper in order to make up alist of food that will feed the family for a weekand meet a budget of a certain amount of money.Have your child make a chart and use acalculator to figure the cost of more than oneitem. If the total for the groceries is too great,talk about which items can be eliminated. Couldthe list be cut down by a few items or by buyingless of another item? What will best serve theneeds of the family?

For a fraction of the cost. Give your child a fewcoupons and grocery ads from the paper. Helpyour child match the coupons to some of thegrocery items in the ad. What fraction of the costis the coupon? For example, if an item costs 79cents and the coupon is for 10 cents off, whatfraction of the cost can be saved? (About 1/8.)What percent are you saving on the item? (About12 1/2 percent.)

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One of the main wayspeople use numbers is forplanning. Knowing how toplan how much things willcost before going to thestore and how to readschedules and weatherinformation from the paperwill help your childunderstand the world.

31

AWhat you'll need

ButtonsScrewsWashersBottle capsOld keysSea shellsRocksor anything else you can

count

32

TreasureHuntEveryone's house has hidden treasures. Thereis a lot of math you and your child can do withthem.

What to do

1.2.

3.

4.

Find a container to hold the treasures.

Sort and classify the treasures. For example, doyou have all the same sized screws or keys? Howare they alike? How are they different?

Use these treasures to tell addition, subtraction.multiplication, and division stories. For example,if we share 17 buttons among three friends, howmany will we each get? Will there be some leftover? Or, if we have 3 shirts that need 6 buttonseach, do we have enough buttons?

Organize the treasures by one characteristic andlay them end-to-end. Compare and contrast thedifferent amounts of that type of treasure. Forexample, there are 3 short screws, 7 long screws,and 11 medium screws. There are 4 moremedium screws than long ones. This may alsoprovide an opportunity to talk about fractions:7/21 or 1/3 of the screws are long.

4 .)

Finding a container to holdthe treasures gives yourchild practice in spatialproblem solving. Thetreasures may help you toexplain the concepts ofaddition, subtraction,multiplication, and divisionbecause they can be movedaround and groupedtogether so your child cancount the items.

33

What you'll need

PaperPencilCrayons

Graphs help everyone,including adults,understand information ata glance. By looking at thelengths of the lines ofheads, your child canquickly see which haircolor, for example, is mostcommon.

BR01.00thAt R.

BACKHAIR

GRAYHAIR

34

FamilyPortraitHave your child get to know members of yourfamily by collecting information and picturingit on a graph.

What to do

1.

2.

3.

Choose an inherited family characteristic: haircolors, for example.

Count how many people in the family have thedifferent hair colors.

Make a graph. For example, if 5 people havebrown hair, draw 5 heads side by side to showthese five people. Do the same for the other haircolors.

Math land:The Grocery StoreThe grocery store is one of the best examples of a placewhere math is real. Since trips to the grocery usuallyaffect everyone in the family, the following activitiesinclude various levels of difficulty within the activity.Look for the symbols to determine which parts of theactivities are for which ages:

for grades K-1

IIIfor grades 2 and 3

for grades 4 through 8.

All of these activities can take place over many visits to

the store.

ft::1:-

35

Get ReadyGetting ready to go shopping can help parentsand children share their thinking strategiesabout math with one another.


PaperPencilCoupons (if you use them)

1.

2.

)

tiDAyS4.

36

Involve the family in making a list. List each itemand mark with checks or tallies to indicate thenumber needed.

Look at the price of an item you bought last weekand intend to buy this week. How much did itcost last week? How much does it cost this week'?Do you want to

Pay this week's price'?

Wait until the price comes down?

Or, stock up if it is on sale?

Involve the group in deciding how much milk orjuice will be needed for a week. You might decideto estimate by cups, explaining that 4 cups areequal to a quart and 4 quarts are a gallon.

If you collect coupons, organize them. Choose thecoupons that match the items on the grocery list.Discuss how much money will be saved onvarious items by using coupons.

Practicing measurement and estimation will helpimprove your children's ability to predict amountswith accuracy.

A-

Scan ItShopping is a part of life which reallynecessitates our being mathematicallyinformed to be good consumers.

What you'll need

Prices

The ever increasing use oftechnology in the grocerystore puts the burden onyou to beware. Yourprotection lies in havingstrong mental math skills

What to do

1.

2.

3.A4.

I 24-8 76 78,

Notice whether the grocery store has prices onthe items or whether the pricing is dependent onscanners.

If there are no prices on the items, notice theprices listed on the shelves.

Assign each child the job of remembering theprice of a few items, particularly those listed onsale.

Being aware of the prices of items will help youverify that the scanners are working properly andthat the total is accurate when you go to checkout.

3136--

CA NOE R.,

37el

Weighing InOne fun place to try out estimation andmeasurement skills in the grocery store is theproduce section where everyone can have theopportunity to participate.


The grocery scale

38

1 Help your child examine the scale. Explain thatpounds are divided into smaller parts calledounces and 16 ounces equal a pound.

2.

3

Gather the produce you are purchasing, andestimate the weight of each item before weighingit.

Use sample questions to foster thinking aboutmeasurement and estimation. You might want toask your child,

2. 2, 2

A

How much do you think 6 apples will weigh?More than a pound, less than a pound, equalto a pound? How much do the apples reallyweigh? Do they weigh more or less than youpredicted? How about the potatoes? Will 6potatoes weigh more or less than the apples?How much potatoes cost per pound? If theycost cents per pound, what is the totalcost?

Some grocery stores have scales that tell all theanswers to these questions, so in that case,estimate using the same procedure to makesure the machines are accurate.

Activities like this help children develop numbersense for weight and foster the ability to compareitems when measuring.

S

What you'll need

Items at the store

CUBE

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40

Get intoShapesThe grocery store is filled with geometricshapes.

What to do

1.

2.

3.

Show your child the pictures of the shapes onthis page before going to the store. This will helpto identify them when you get to the store.

At the store, ask your child questions to generateinterest in the shapes.

Which items are solid? Which are flat?

Which shapes have flat sides'?

Which have circles for faces? Rectangles?

Do any have points at the top?

Point out shapes and talk about their qualitiesand their use in daily life.

Look to see what shapes stack easily. Why'?

Try to find some cones. How many can youund?

Look for pyramids.

a '- L.,'F'Y RAM% P

Determine which solids take up a lot of spaceand which ones stack well.

Discuss why space is important to the grocerand why the grocer cares about what stackswell.

Boxes, cans, rolls of toilet paper or paper towels, icecream cones and cones that hold flowers, plusproduce such as oranges, grapes, and tomatoes areall geometric shapes. Recognizing these shapes helpschildren connect math to the real world.

CORNS

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What you'll need

All the items you intend tobuy

One way to makeestimating totals easy is toassign an average price toeach item. If the averageprice for each item is $2and if you have 10 items,the estimate would beabout $20.

42

Check OutThe check out counter is where we commonlythink about math in the grocery store. It'swhere the total is added up, the money isexchanged, and the change is returned.

What to do

1.2.

Have your child estimate the total.

Ask, if I have 10 one-dollar bills, how many willI have to give the clerk? What if I have 20 one-dollar bills? 5? How much change should Ireceive? What coins will I get?

3. Count the change with your child to make surethe change is correct.

It's in theBagHere's some fun estimation to do with bagsfull of groceries.

What you'll need

Bags of groceries

This activity exposeschildren to the experiencesof counting items and com-paring qualities, as well asto judging spatial relation-ships and capacity. It showshow to estimate weight byfeeling how much the bagweighs, comparing it to aknown weight (such as a5-pound bag of sugar), orweighing it on a scale.

What to do

1 Have your child guess how many objects thereare in a bag. Ask: Is it full? Could it hold more?Could it tear if you put more in it? Are theremore things in another bag of the same size? Whydo some bags hold more or less than others?

2. Estimate the weight of the bag of groceries. Doesit weigh 5 pounds, 10 pounds, or more? How canyou check your estimate? Now, compare one bagto another. Which is lighter or heavier? Why?

What you'll need

Your bags of groceriesCounter top or table to group

items on

Sorting helps childrendevelop classifying andreasoning skills and theability to examine data orinformation.

44

Put It AwayNow, the sorting begins as you put away thegroceries.

What to do

1 Find one characteristic that is the same for someof the products. For example, some are boxesand some are cans.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Put all the items together that have the samecharacteristic.

Find another way to group these items.

Continue sorting, finding as many different waysto group the items as you can.

Play "Guess My Rule." In this game, you sort theitems and invite your child to guess your rule forsorting them. Then, your child can sort the items,and you can guess the rule.

Math on the GoIn this busy world, we spend a lot of time in transit.These are some projects to try while you are going fromplace to place.

While you're moving, have your children keep their eyesopen for:

street and building numbers;

phone numbers on the sides of taxis and trucks;

dates on buildings and monuments; and

business names that have numbers in them.

45

NumberSearchThe object is to look for numbers around you:on cars, buses, subways, and on foot.


Some type of transportation 1 Create a chart that lists the numbers from 1-50.

orA place from which to observe 2.Paper Write down each number as family members

locate that number on a car, a sign, a building.PencilRuler

.3. Write down words that have numbers in themsuch as "one-stop shopping," "two-day service," or"Highway 20."

This is a great challenge forfamily members of all ages,because even youngchildren can learn torecognize numbers.

46

LicensePlatesLicense plates have numbers and are fun touse to play games while on the go. OWhat you'll need What to do

License plates 1. Copy down a license plate. Read it as a numberPaper (excluding the letters). For example, if the licensePencil is 663M218, the number would be six hundred

sixty-three thousand, two hundred eighteen.

1111 2. Find other license plates and read their numbers.Is the number less than, greater than, or equal toyours?

A3. Estimate the difference between your numberand another license plate. Is it 10, 100, 1,000, or10,000?

A4. Record the names of the states of as manydifferent license plates as you see. From which

f=t state do you see the most? Which has the fewest?Prepare a chart or graph to show your findings.

Y./

These activities encourage reading, recognizingnumbers, noticing symbols, writing, counting, andgraphing.

47

AWhat you'll need

License plates

The problem solving andcomputation going on inyour child's head is veryimportant. It helps yourchild be creative withnumbers.

48

Total ItThis is a good game for practicing quickmental computation.

What to do

1.2.A3.

Call out the numbers on the license plate.

See who can add the numbers up correctly. Whatstrategies were used? (Were the numbers addedby 10's like 2+8; were doubles like 6+6 used?)

Try different problems using the numbers in alicense plate.

For example, if you use the plate number663M218, ask, "Using the numbers on the plate,can you:

make a 1 using two numbers?make a 1 using three numbers?make a 1 using four numbers'?make a 1 using five numbers?make a 1 using six numbers?make a 2 using 1 number?

Yes, 3-2=1.

Yes, 6-(3+2)=1Yes, (6+6)-8-3=1Yes, 3-R6+6)-8-21=1Yes, 8x2- (6 +6) -3 =l

Yes, the 2.

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How Long?How Far?Many times when you are on the go, you areheaded somewhere that requires you be thereby a certain time.

What you'll need

Information about how faryou're traveling and howlong it will take

START x

8:00M4

What to do

1 Ask your children how far they think you aretraveling. Yards? Blocks? Miles?

2. Talk about how long it takes to get there. If it is3:15 now, and it takes 45 minutes to get there,will we make it for a 4:15 appointment? Howmuch extra time will we have? Will we be late?

These types of questions help children see theusefulness of understanding distance and time.

V)

BLOCKS 8145

yivito s

49

What you'll need

Questions about numbers

50

81

00

7 37

Guess If YouCanWhen children practice asking questionsabout numbers, they can develop anunderstanding of the characteristics andmeanings of numbers.

What to do

1 Let your child think of a number between astated range of numbers while you try to guessthe number by asking questions. Here is a sampleconversation.

Child: I am thinking of a number between 1 and100.

Parent: Is it more than 50?

Child: No.

Parent: Is it an even number?

Child: No.

Parent: Is it more than 20 but less than 40?

Child: Yes.

5

Parent: Can you divide this number up into 3equal parts?

And so on ...

After you have guessed your child's number, letyour child guess a number from you by askingsimilar questions.

The questions asked demonstrate many differentlevels of math. They can serve as learning tools forexplaining concepts. For example, you can take theopportunity to explain what an even number is ifyour child does not know.

51

I

/// /// /1/ 1/

I/ I /I,

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As.

Parents and the SchoolsHere are a few ideas that might help you support a positive mathenvironment in your child's school:

I. Visit the school and see if the children:

Are actively engaged in math;Are talking about mathematics;Are working together to solve math problems;Have their math work on display;Use manipulatives (objects that children cantouch and move) in the classroom.

2. Explore the math program with your child'steacher, curriculum coordinator, or principal.Here are some questions you might ask:

Are there manipulatives in the classroom?Are you familiar with the National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics standards (see nextpage)?How are the standards being used in thisschool?What can I do to help foster a strong mathprogram where children can explore mathconcepts before giving the right answer?

3. If you would like to help out, here are somesuggestions for parent groups:

Make games for teachers;Help seek out sponsors who believe in a strongmath program for the school and who mightprovide materials and resources;Support math classes for families at yourschool.

4. Keep a positive attitude even if you don't likewhat yo /see. Work to improve the mathcurriculum by doing some of the thingsmentioned throughout this book.

5. Share this book with your child's teacher.

6

52

What Should I Expectfrom a Math Program?The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics(NCTM) has recently endorsed standards bywhich math should be taught in the elementaryand middle grade years. The powerful nature ofthese standards is that they not only have theendorsement of the academic community, butthey are also heavily endorsed by corporations.These endorsements, together with thetechnological advances of our society and thelack of math confidence in our work force, havecombined to produce tremendous support forthe standards.These standards make some assumptions aboutthe way math should be taught and whatparents might see when visiting the classroom.Here are some examples:

1. Children will be engaged in discoveringmathematics, not just doing many problems ina book.

2. Children will have the opportunity to explore,investigate, estimate, question, predict, and testtheir ideas about math.

3. Children will explore and developunderstanding for math concepts usingmaterials they can touch and feel, either naturalor manufactured.

4. The teacher will guide the students' learning,not dictate how it must be done.

5. Children will have many opportunities to lookat math in terms of daily life and to see theconnections among math topics such as betweengeometry and numbers.

6. Children will be actively involved in usingtechnology (calculators and computers) to solve

math problems.

The complete list of standards is available fromNCTM, 1906 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia22091-1593 (1-800-235-7566).

I I

53

Resources1. Math for parents:Burns, Marilyn. Math for Smarty Pants. Little,Brown and Company.

Burns, Marilyn. The I Hate Mathematics Book.Little, Brown and Company.

Curriculum and Evaluation Standards forSchool Mathematics. National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics. Reston, Virginia

Help Your Child Learn Number Skills. UsborneParents' Guider, EDC Publishing, 10302 East 55thPlace, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74146.

The Learning With Series. Cuisenaire Company,P.O. Box 5026, White Plains, New York 10602-5026, 1-800-237-3142.

Parker, Tom, (1984). In One Day. HoughtonMifflin Company.

Reys, Barbara. Elementary School Mathematics:What Parents Should Know about Estimation.National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.Reston, Virginia. 10 for $7.50.

Reys, Barbara. Elementary School Mathematics:What Parents Should Know About ProblemSolving. National Council of Teachers ofMathematics. Reston, Virginia. 10 for $7.50.

Room, Adrian. The Oldness Book of Numbers.Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 387 ParkAvenue South, New York, New York 10016-8810.

Stenmark, Virginia Thompson and Ruth Cossey.Family Math. Lawrence Hall of Science,University of California at Berkeley, BerkeleyCalifornia 94720.

Thomas, David A., (1988). The Math-ComputerConnection. Franklin Watts.

Thomas, David A., (1988). Math Projects forYoung Scientists. Franklin Watts.

Math Matters. National PTA and ExxonFoundation. Video tape and pamphlet useful forparent meetings.

54

The following pamphlets are available from theNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics,1906 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091-1593 (1-800-235-7566). All are priced 20 for $5,100 for $15.

"Family Math Awareness Activities"

"Help Your Child Learn Math"

"Using Calculators to Improve Your Child's MathSkills"

2. Books for children:Almost every book you read with your child willoffer the opportunity to talk about math,because math is everywhere. Some books lendthemselves more to in-depth and specific mathdiscussion. Only a fraction of these books couldbe listed here.

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's Counting Book.Thomas Y. Crowell.

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno 's Counting House.Philomel Books.

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's Hat Trick. PhilomelBooks.

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's Math Games. PhilomelBooks.

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's MysteriousMultiplying Jar. Philomel Books.

Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Ladybug. PhilomelBooks.

Carle, Eric. 1,2,3 to the Zoo. Philomel Books.

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.Philomel Books.

Carter, David. How Many Bugs in a Box? Simonand Schuster.

Cobb, Vicki and Kathy Darling. Bet You Can.Avon.

Cobb, Vicki and KathyAvon.

Conran, Sebastian. MyBooks.

Daly, Eileen. 1 Is Red. Western.

Dee, Ruby. Two Ways to Count to Ten. Holt.

Demi. Demi's Count the Animals 123. Grossetand Dunlap.

Feelings, Muriel. Moja Means One: SwahiliCounting Book. Dial.

Grayson, Marion. Let's Count. Robert B. Luce,Inc.

Grayson, Marion. Count Out. Robert B. Luce, Inc.

Hoban, Tana. Circles. Triangles, and Squares.MacMillan Publishing Company, Inc.

Hoban, Tana. Count and See. MacmillanPublishing Company, Inc.

Hoban, Tana. Is It Rough, Is It Smooth, Is ItBumpy? Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc.

Hudson, Cheryl. Afro-Bets 123 Book. Just UsProductions.

Darling. Bet You Can't.

First 123 Book. Aladdin

Hutchins, Pat. The Doorbell Rang. GreenwillowBooks.

Hutchins, Pat. One Hunter. Greenwillow Books.

Jones, Carol. This Old Man. Houghton MifflinCompany.

Keats, Ezra Jack. Over in the Meadow. Scholastic.

Kitchen, Bert. Animal Numbers. Dial.

Kredenser, Gail. One Dancing Drum. Phillips.

Lionni, Leo. Numbers To Talk About. PantheonBooks.

Marley, Deborah. Animals One to Ten. Raintree.

McMillan, Bruce. Counting Wildflowers. Lothrop,Lee & Shepard Books, Inc.

McMillan, Bruce. One, Two, One Pair. Scholastic.

Nolan, Dennis. Monster Bubbles. Prentice Hall.

Pluckrose, Henry. Know about Counting.Franklin Watts.

Pomerantz, Charlotte. The Half Birthday Party.Clarion Books.

Ross, H.L. Not Counting Monsters. Platt andMunk.

Schwartz, David M. How Much Is a Million?Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, Inc.

Schwartz, David M. If You Made a Million.Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, Inc.

Tafuri, Nancy. Who's Counting? William Morrow& Co.

Testa, Fulvio. If You Take a Pencil. Dial.

Viorst, Judith. Alexander Who Used To Be RichLast Sunday. Atheneum.

Vogel, Ilse-Margret. 1 Is No Fun, But 20 Is Plenty!Atheneum.

Ziefert, Harriet. A Dozen Dizzy Dogs. RandomHouse.

3. Magazines and periodicals:Dynamath. Scholastic. Available from the schooldivision. Filled with many different activities thatinvolve all strands of math. Children in grade 5

particularly like this. Nine publications are senteach school year. $5.00 for the subscription.

Games Magazine, P.O. Box 10147, Des Moines,Iowa 50347. The adult version of Games Junior(see below). Older children may prefer this toGames Junior.

Games Junior, P.O. Box 10147, Des Moines, Iowa50347. A challenging but fun magazine of alldifferent kinds of games that give children hoursof "brain workouts." Appropriate for ages 7 andup.

55

Math Power. Scholastic. Available from theschool division. Exciting and inviting, thismagazine is filled with many activities thatinvolve all types of math. Good for grades 3 and4. Nine publications are sent each school yearfor $5.00.

Puzzlemania. Highlights, P.O. Box 18201,Columbus, Ohio 43218-0201. Includes puzzlesinvolving words, logical thinking, hidden pictures,spatial reasoning, etc. The cost is about $7.50 permonth.

Zillions. Consumer Reports, P.O. Box 54861,Boulder, Colorado 80322. Children's version ofConsumer Reports. Shows math in the real worldand offers children the opportunity to see howgathering data and information can lead to gooddecisionmaking. The cost is approximately $2.75per issue.

56

AcknowledgmentsThis book was made possible with help from thefollowing people: Phil Demartini, Headmaster, St.Francis School, Goshen, Kentucky; Janet G. Gillespie,Teacher, Wood lawn Elementary School, Portland,Oregon; David Kanter; Sharon Nelson, Principal, LowerSchool, Isidore Newman School, New Orleans, Louisiana;Kathy Rabin, Teacher, Isidore Newman School; andAnnette Raphel, Curriculum Coordinator, MiltonAcademy, Milton, Massachusetts.

Others who reviewed early drafts or providedinformation and guidance include: Iris Carl, PastPresident, National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics;Mary Connolly, Marketing Manager, ElementaryMathematics, DC Heath; Julie Fisher, VisitingMathematics Educator, National Council of Teachers ofMathematics; Vera M. White, Principal, Jefferson JuniorHigh School, Washington, D.C.; and many people in theU.S. Department of Education.

Special thanks go to Leo and Diane Dillon for theiradvice on how to work with illustrators and toAlison Goldstein and Emily Dorfman, two Marylandthird graders who marked the manuscript for color

overlays. Appreciation is also expressed to Nathan andJulie Kanter for testing many of the activities containedin this book.

P 57

EDIOERI 92 39

58

Patsy F. Kanter is Assistant Principal/Curriculum Coordinator atthe Isidore Newman Lower School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sheis also an instructor of family math and a consultant for theLouisiana Children's Museum. She has been an elementary schoolmathematics teacher, and she founded the Newman Math Instituteat Newman School. She is the author, with Janet Gillespie, of EveryDay Counts and Math Every Day and has written articles onmathematics for professional magazines. She has a B.A. fromNewcomb College, and, in listing her academic credentials, shecredits her mother, Louise Hirsch Fried ler, as being her firstteacher, "who always tried to make learning interesting for me."

Jerry Guillot is the art teacher for Isidore Newman Lower Schoolin New Orleans, Louisiana, where he has taught for the past 24years. He has a B.A. from Lousiana State University and receivedhis teaching certification from Tulane University. He has taughtclasses and workshops on elementary art for both college studentsand private organizations. He is also a graphic artist for a NewOrleans company.

Brian A. Griffin (pages 10, 11, 30, 35, 45, 46) is a designer for theSan Jose Mercury News, San Jose, California. He was formerly theArt Director of Kids Today, a weekly children's newspaperpublished by Gannett Co., Inc. He has won awards from the Societyof Newspaper Design, PRINT Regional Design Annual, and the ArtDirector's Club of Metropolitan Washington.

e

What We Can DoTo Help Our Children Learn:Listen to them and pay attention to their problems.

Read with them.

Tell family stories.

Limit their television watching.

Have books and other reading materials in the house.

Look up words in the dictionary with them.

Encourage them to use an encyclopedia.

Share favorite poems and songs with them.

Take them to the libraryget them their own librarycards.Take them to museums and historical sites, whenpossible.

Discuss the daily news with them.

Go exploring with them and learn about plants,animals, and local geography.

Find a quiet place for them to study.

Review their homework.

Meet with their teachers.

Do you have other ideas?

For sale by the U.S Government Printing OfficeSuperintendent of Documents. Mail Stop: SSOP. Washington, DC 20402-9328

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U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Researchand Improvement