The Asked & Answered department shares excerpts from discussion threads on the online MyNCTM community. In this issue, featured threads highlight responses to members' questions related to mathematical depth in preschool, spiral review in the upper elementary grades, ideas for differentiation in middle school, and projects for high school algebra.
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Asked & Answered
Asked & Answered
The Asked & Answered department shares excerpts from discussion threads on the online MyNCTM community. In this issue, featured threads highlight responses to members' questions regarding 1st grade number sense, multiplication and division of fractions, issues of definition and precision related to circles, and the value of rationalizing denominators.
Danger! Animals in the Mathematics Classroom
Stefanie D. Livers, Kristin E. Harbour, and Lindsey Fowler
In our attempts to make a concept easier, we may hinder student learning.
Decomposing Rectangles
Annie Perkins and Christy Pettis
Students are given a problem to break down rectangles.
A Leg Up on the Metric System
Students use a super-hero theme to compare the imperial system to the metric system.
May 2019 Calendar and Solutions
Problems
Stephen Phelps
Edited by Anna F. DeJarnette
A monthly set of problems targets a variety of ability levels.
Threatened to extinction
P. Reneé Hill-Cunningham
Hundreds of species of animals around the world are losing their habitats and food supplies, are facing extinction, or have been hunted or otherwise negatively influenced by humans. Students learn about some of these animals and explore multiple solution strategies as they solve this month's problems. Math by the Month features collections of short activities focused on a monthly theme. These articles aim for an inquiry or problem-solving orientation that includes four activities each for grade bands K–2, 3–4, and 5–6.
LEGOs: Linking Units, Operations, and Area
Megan H. Wickstrom, Elizabeth Fulton, and Dacia Lackey
Use those multicolored linking bricks to help students connect measurement with an understanding of number and operations as well as fractions.
Coding Toys in Kindergarten
Jessica F. Shumway, Jody Clarke-Midura, Victor R. Lee, Megan M. Hamilton, and Chloe Baczuk
Claims are made that learning to code can enhance problem-solving skills and develop early computational thinking. This team observed how young children used their early mathematical skills while learning coding fundamentals. Contributors to the iSTEM department share ideas and activities that stimulate student interest in the integrated fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in K–grade 6 classrooms.
