Everyday math: Helping your
middle schooler master mathematics
How important will math skills be during the
21st century?
Mathematics Equals Opportunity, a report published
by the U.S. Department of Education, sums it up: "In the United States
today, mastering mathematics has become more important than ever.
Students with a strong grasp of mathematics have an advantage in
academics and in the job market. The eighth grade is a critical point in
mathematics education. Achievement at that stage clears the way for
students to take rigorous high school mathematics and science courses —
keys to college entrance and success in the labor force."
To make sure children have the math skills to take on the challenges of
college and the world outside of school, all New York students are now
required to pass at least one Regents in math to graduate from high
school. Junior high schoolers are tested at the end of eighth grade to
ensure they are prepared to meet this requirement. Many districts are
also giving a variety of other math tests during the years that state
tests are not required. [top]
Creating a climate for math learning at home
For kids to learn to like math and understand its
practical uses, they need to practice what they know every day. Here are
some easy at-home activities that can help bolster your children’s
knowledge and success with math:
Be positive about math. You don’t have to be a
math whiz to help your children develop positive attitudes about the
subject. Simply sitting with them and helping out when math homework
seems difficult can go a long way toward getting them to believe in
their mathematical abilities. Junior high is a time when children
begin to seriously define who they are and learn about what they are
skilled at. Success with math now can create a positive attitude
about future learning. Get excited about what they are learning,
help them ferret out the answers. If you have trouble with terms or
need a math primer yourself, there are many Web sites that offer
help, such as mathforum.org/dr.math/. Ask your children’s teachers
what’s being taught in school and how you can help reinforce it at
home.
Help them see math’s connection to their daily
lives. Math becomes more meaningful when kids see how important it
is to everyday living. We all use math every day: banking, shopping
for groceries, calculating how much paint is needed to cover the
living room walls. Every sport uses numbers, whether for scoring,
determining averages or figuring percentages. Artists use shapes and
figures and need to understand ratios (fractions) when mixing
materials like paint. Help your budding chef see the usefulness of
math when measuring ingredients or doubling a recipe. Math skills
are also put to practical use when spacing new plants or figuring
out how many plants to grow in order to have enough tomatoes for
homemade pasta sauce.
Help your children understand the basics. Just
because they’ve been practicing basic math skills for many years
doesn’t mean they have mastered them. Children need a firm grip on
the basics to be successful with the higher math they’ll study in
junior and senior school. If your children have difficulty figuring
math in their heads, encourage them to work problems through on
scrap paper or with the help of math counters. Flash cards are a
quick and easy way to help a struggling learner get a grip on
addition, multiplication and fractions. Puzzles, like tangrams, are
great for reinforcing shapes and size. Teaching supply stores and
online sources like www.lakeshorelearning.com and www.etacuisenaire
carry a variety of these supplies. If you are uncertain about what
types of materials are best for helping your children learn, ask
their teachers for suggestions.
Sneak in a little math practice on vacation. On
your next trip, pack a variety of board and card games that are
great for reinforcing basic math skills. Having your children help
calculate the distance between home and your destination(s) or gas
mileage are also great on-the-road math activities.
Have your children open a bank account. Most
banks provide literature aimed at helping teach children to manage
their money. The Web site www.kidsbank.com is an online resource
that provides a kid-friendly primer on banking.
Capitalize on your pre-teens’ desire to shop
till they drop. Use the sale flyers from the Sunday paper to teach
your children about comparison shopping. Math skills will also help
them understand just how much of their hard-earned money they’ll
have to fork over for a new pair of jeans or sneakers.
Show the importance of math for career choices.
Many jobs that once required little background in math now call for
specific skills in algebra, geometry, measurement, probability and
statistics. Virtually all of the fastest growing and highest paying
professions listed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics require a
strong knowledge of math. How do you and other adults you know use
math in your job each day? Think it over and let your kids know.
Mathematical challenges for families provide
interesting math challenges that junior high students can do at home
with their families.
Books about mathematical ideas for kids
"Why Do Buses Come in Threes? The Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life"
by Rob Eastaway and Jeremy Wyndham
"The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure" by Hans Magnus Enzensberger.
"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster.
"Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure" and
"Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure" by Cindy
Neuschwander.
"The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat" and
"Fractals, Googols and Other Mathematical Tales" by Theoni Pappas.
"Math Trek: Adventures in the Math Zone" and
"Math Trek 2: A Mathematical Space Odyssey" by Ivars Peterson.
"G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book" by David Schwartz.
"The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures" by Malba
Taha.
"The Grapes of Math: Mind Stretching Math Riddles" by Greg Tang.
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