SamizdatMath

Teach your students the importance of ratios and unit rates.

This is a short activity with specific instructions that deals with the misconception that the decimal point is the "center" of the base ten system. The reality is that the decimal point has two functions, one of which is to act as a "pointer" to the ones place, which is the actual divider of the place value chart. This goes a long way towards explaining to your students why there is no "opposite" of the ones place: it is the actual center from which the decimals and whole numbers originate. Th

I don’t know what you’ve been up during the summer of 2016, but I’ve been busy doing almost nothing related to my profession. I’ve actually been learning new things, including taking up the sport of boxing. My 69 year old trainer, Bob, says I’m a “natural,” by the way, and my jabs are getting pretty good, although my hook still needs some work. One of the things I did do this summer is do the assigned reading from my school, which was a provocative book by Christopher Emdin, called “For white

This is a free poster that you can print out and hang in your room as an inspiration for your students: Maryam Misrakhami is the first woman to win the Fields Medal, the highest honor bestowed on a young mathematician. It is given to between 2 - 4 mathematicians to honor their promising work and is given every 4 years. Please spread the word to keep your girls excited about mathematics. There is a full activity I've posted that links language arts and mathematics: it contains a 5 paragraph arti

Tragically, Maryam Mirzakhani passed away on July 15, 2017. As a tribute to her work, I am now making this permanently free to all who will spread the word about Maryam's astonishing achievements. This is an original article I wrote about the 2014 Fields Medal Winner Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the award. The article is 5 paragraphs and is designed for readers from grades 4 - 8. There are 2 pages of questions; one page focuses on math questions ("How old was Mirzakhani when she wo

We are reflective teachers who embrace the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice. We are committed teachers who want to take the magic out of mathematics and focus on the beauty of sense-making. We wish for teachers everywhere to seek coherence and connection rather than offer students memorized procedures and short-cutting tricks. Students are capable of rich conceptual understanding; don't rob them of the opportunity to experience the discovery of new concepts. We acknowledge that this is

Greetings Intrepid Teacher: If you’ve downloaded this preview pack and have looked at the materials already, you’re probably scratching your head and thinking, “What is wrong with this person? Why do his activities look so strange? Why do they have all these fancy designs? And why does he love Louis Jordan so much? I have no answers: I was raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York, and my background was in industrial and visual arts. I was overeducated beyond my intelligence at a prominen