Day-By-Day Math: Activities for Grade 3-6

183 Pages·2000·6.72 MB·English

by  Susan Ohanian

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n Day-by-Day Math, you’ll find amazing statistics to ponder, D
perplexing puzzles to solve, and math magic to celebrate. a
Susan Ohanian has compiled a hefty collection of fascinat- y
ing facts related to familiar and not-so-familiar events, -
B
some serious, some lighthearted—and each one leads to a math-
y
ematical problem, investigation, or activity suitable for students in
-
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grades 3 through 6. Some of the classroom suggestions are ideal
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for short math period “openers.” Others can be used for longer
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investigations.
For teachers interested in integrating math with other areas M
of the curriculum, relating math to the real world, and enriching
a
children’s math learning, Day-by-Day
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that will help them add HerMind,and,withMarilyn
extra oomph to their math Burns, Math By All Means:
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Math Solutions susan ohanian
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®
PUBLICATIONS s
Day- -Day
by
M A T H
-

Day- -Day
by
M A T H
ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 3–6
SUSAN OHANIAN
MathSolutionsPublications
Sausalito,CA
MathSolutionsPublications
Adivisionof
MarilynBurnsEducationAssociates
150Gate5Road,Suite101
Sausalito CA 94965
www.mathsolutions.com
Copyright©2000byMathSolutionsPublications
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
mechanical,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptfortheinclusionofbriefquotationsina
review.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Ohanian,Susan.
Day-by-daymath:activitiesforgrades3–6/SusanOhanian.
p. cm.
ISBN0-941355-28-4(alk.paper)
1. Mathematics—Studyandteaching(Elementary) I. Title.
QA135.5.O3272000
372.7—dc21
00-58225
ISBN-13:978-0-941355-28-5
ISBN-10:0-941355-28-4
Editor:TobyGordon
Production:MelissaL.Inglis
Coverandinteriordesign:JoniDohertyDesign
Coverandinteriorillustrations:TwylaBogaard
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonacid-freepaper
04 03 02 ML 2 3 4 5
A Message from Marilyn Burns
We at Math Solutions Professional Development believe that
teaching math well calls for increasing our understanding of the
math we teach, seeking deeper insights into how children learn
mathematics, and refining our lessons to best promote students’
learning.
MathSolutionsPublicationssharesclassroom-testedlessonsand
teaching expertise from our faculty of Math Solutions Inservice
instructors as well as from other respected math educators. Our
publications are part of the nationwide effort we’ve made since
1984thatnowincludes
• more than five hundred face-to-face inservice programs each
year for teachers and administrators in districts across the
country;
• annuallypublishingprofessionaldevelopmentbooks,nowto-
taling more than sixty titles and spanning the teaching of all
mathtopicsinkindergartenthroughgrade8;
• fourseriesofvideosforteachers,plusavideoforparents,that
showmathlessonstaughtinactualclassrooms;
• on-site visits to schools to help refine teaching strategies and
assessstudentlearning;and
• free online support, including grade-level lessons, book re-
views, inservice information, and district feedback, all in our
quarterlyMathSolutionsOnlineNewsletter.
For information about all of the products and services we have
available, please visit our website at www.mathsolutions.com. You
can also contact us to discuss math professional development
needs by calling [phone] or by sending an email to
[email protected].
We’re always eager for your feedback and interested in learning
aboutyourparticularneeds.Welookforwardtohearingfromyou.
Math Solutions
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PUBLICATIONS

CONTENTS
ix
PrefacebyMarilyn Burns
xi
Introduction
1 January
18 February
32 March
47 April
61 May
75 June
89 July
103 August
118 September
131 October
143 November
157 December

PREFACE
D
ay-by-Day Math is an eclectic and quirky collection of event anniversaries,
two per day, for every day of the year, from January 1 through December 31.
Some entries chronicle familiar historical events, while others reveal little-
known facts. Some are serious; some are lighthearted. There’s something in
thebookforeveryone.
Susan Ohanian chose each entry for this resource book because it sug-
gestsamathematicalproblem,investigation,oractivitysuitableforstudents
ingrades3through6.Theresultisaheftyanddiversecollectionofideasfor
addinganextrabitofoomphtomathinstruction.Someoftheclassroomsug-
gestions are ideal for five-, ten-, or fifteen-minute math period “openers.”
Some can be used for longer class investigations. Many are suitable for indi-
vidualinvestigations.
Common math themes run throughout the suggestions in the book. Be-
cause of the historical aspect of the entries, there is a steady recurrence of
“howlongagodidthishappen”activitiestohelpstudentsdevelopstrategies
for calculating mentally. Also, there are many opportunities for students to
collect, organize, and graph data, with suggestions for helping younger chil-
dren learn about the concept of average while challenging older students to
analyze means, medians, and modes. Other activities relate to monetary is-
sues,notonlyprovidingstudentsexperiencewithcomputation,butalsogiv-
ing them a sense of the changes in the value of our currency over time. Still
otheractivitiessupportstudents’mappingskills.Finally,manyoftheentries
engage students in thinking about areas of measurement—length, weight,
andtemperatureamongothers.
For teachers interested in integrating math with other areas of the cur-
riculum, relating math to the real world, and enriching children’s math learn-
ing, Day-by-Day Math is a unique reference. It will delight both teachers and
students,allyearlong.
MarilynBurns
ix