I high recommend starting a blog about a subject that scares you. When I was first introduced to this idea, my heart sank. Like many people I know, the mere thought of math scared me. As I started digging deeper into my thought about the subject I really discovered a whole world that I didn't even know existed. There are actually other people that blog about math!- who knew! All of this because an innovative professor believed that there was so much more to the world of math than what is taught in the classroom. If I have learned anything from this experience, I believe that would be it. I may even continue this blog when I have an idea. I will keep you posted!!!!
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Blogging Math is a Blast!
I high recommend starting a blog about a subject that scares you. When I was first introduced to this idea, my heart sank. Like many people I know, the mere thought of math scared me. As I started digging deeper into my thought about the subject I really discovered a whole world that I didn't even know existed. There are actually other people that blog about math!- who knew! All of this because an innovative professor believed that there was so much more to the world of math than what is taught in the classroom. If I have learned anything from this experience, I believe that would be it. I may even continue this blog when I have an idea. I will keep you posted!!!!
Excellent Math Resource for Teachers
Yummy Math
We provide teachers and students with mathematics relevant to our world today …http://www.yummymath.com/
I just discovered this awesome teaching resource that can be used by teachers to apply everyday situations to math problems. It is an interactive web site with videos, and word problems that a class can solve together using technology. There are many examples such as how many lights are needed to decorate a Christmas tree to playing board games such as Monopoly. It actually looks like so much fun that I would even do it outside the classroom! I highly recommend this site to all of you math enthusiasts and teachers out there.
Keep Updated
Losing team in the playoffs

The NFL Playoffs are underway. Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos made the playoffs without a winning record and have advanced in another thriller of a game by beating the Steelers. Even though the Broncos did not have a winning record in the regular season they weren’t the worst team ever to make the playoffs. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks made the NFL playoffs with a losing record. They were the first NFL team to do so in a non-strike year. Let your students explore other teams in the three major sports who have made their playoffs with a losing record. How will they determine which team had the worst record if many of the teams played different amounts of games? Seems like a good time for percents and proportions! Enjoy the playoffs … and the math.
Help me figure out how many feet of lights I need
Watch the video of my Xmas tree with your math class. We didn’t get enough lights for the tree. How many feet of lights do you think we need in total so that the tree is properly decorated? How do you know?
CCSS: 6.G.4 , 7.G.1 , 7.G.6 , 8.EE.6, 8.G.9 , G-SRT.8, G-MG.1
Possible Solution (a rough estimate) in word doc form:
XMAS-TREE-LIGHTS-POSSIBLE-SOLUTION.doc and on video:
HDTV Surprise

How were your holidays? Your school vacation? Mine was good. I surprised my family with this HDTV, which I wrapped and hung on our wall. The size of an HDTV is determined by the length of its diagonal. What size HDTV could this be? How do you know?
Bringing the world of math in through play!
Children seem to have a knack of bringing the whole world around them into play!
Although I never put too much thought into this subject before I recently noticed that children seem to learn math so much easier when it starts as a playful and non-controlled activity. Math seems very daunting and intimidating when the curriculum is forced upon students. A perfect example would be my 2 year old daughter. I have been trying to teach her how to count since she started saying words about 6 months ago. Just as any child would, she refused to listen and did the opposite of what I asked her or encouraged her to do. Just recently she started to listen to more music and pay attention to books (pursing her own interests). Next thing I know she is counting to 10 as she is mimicking books and videos!!! I discovered that I need to let her discover her basic abilities on her own. The earliest math play commonly involves the discoveries that numbers come in a fixed sequence, that the sequence repeats itself in a regular way (base- ten) and once you understand the pattern there is no end to how high you can count. I think I will just let her be for now and let her discover!
Monday, 9 January 2012
Math Mistakes in Famous Movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlnLRKO3zII&feature=related
I thought this video was very interesting! I stumbled upon this video that shows various clips of famous movies that have mathematical errors. Who knew? I never noticed or even questioned any of the statements or lines presented in this clip. It just goes to show how we accept anything that sounds mathematical to be an accurate statement. Really, who (except for the person that made this video) has actually researched or even noticed the inaccuracy of these movies.. I have seen all the movies and this is the first I have even heard of these mistakes. I think I may pay more attention from this point forward!
I thought this video was very interesting! I stumbled upon this video that shows various clips of famous movies that have mathematical errors. Who knew? I never noticed or even questioned any of the statements or lines presented in this clip. It just goes to show how we accept anything that sounds mathematical to be an accurate statement. Really, who (except for the person that made this video) has actually researched or even noticed the inaccuracy of these movies.. I have seen all the movies and this is the first I have even heard of these mistakes. I think I may pay more attention from this point forward!
teaching children math before school
I think it's important to start incorporating math into the daily lives of children before they begin school. If you can imagine all of the knowledge that a child has gained before the age of 4 it is imaginable that math should be at the top of the list. For example, when arriving into the kindergarten class, a child already speaks a at least one language. This is done without the use of a textbook or teacher. Language is incorporated into daily life without the child knowing that they are even being taught. With math, parents can cook with their children. They can use measuring cups to learn fraction. They are having fun and learning at the same time. In addition, they can put a growth chart on their bedroom wall. On one side their height in cm, and on the other side the week. There are so many examples of how math is introduced at home as a precursor to the school learning experience.

Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Doing Mental Math when I Grocery Shop Never Works!
As usual, I went grocery shopping today without a list, and I was very limited in time. I am sure that I would save so much more money if I would myself like the folks in "extreme Couponing" but that just isn't the case. Besides the fact that I know I wasting money, time, I am also buying food and items that I really do not need. My point in all this is that I justify my actions by all my waste in that I use math in my head to do calculations, but in the end its just not very organised and efficient. There is a time and place for mental math- and its not at the grocery store when I am in a rush! I often find myself making quick decisions, and trying to add items in my head as I move throughout the store but I have finally realized that it is a waste of time. When I checkout, the total is always so much more than I expected and I always promise myself I will make a list and bring a calculator next time. Another thing is adding the tax. I always mess that up to. I really do need a calculator, coupons, time, and a list next time I go shopping!
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