Math Confidence Newsletter
Volume 11
April 2010
In This Issue
Math Confidence:You Tube
Recommended Reading
Organizational Tools
Division with Fractions
Brain Teaser
Math Confidence Video on You Tube
 
Quick Math Confidence Links...
 
on the Web
 
Join Our Mailing List
How can students develop organizational skills for school, work and life?  While studying and understanding content is important, gaining organizational skills is another learning opportunity.  The Recommended Reading "teaches the skills for success in school and beyond" and includes tools for improving student performance and confidence.  This month's video on division with fractions is example-based (rather than just procedural) for better organization of thinking and heightened understanding.
Recommended Reading
This book can help all students but will especially resonate with middle schoolers (and their parents and teachers) who are transitioning from a one teacher/one room experience to the complexity of multiple instructors/locations.   It will also benefit any student who would like to be better organized, successful and confident.  The book includes many practical tips such as Poly Envelopes as an inexpensive and lightweight tool for document collection so homework makes it home!  The book includes a logistics chapter on the physical setting for homework and discusses the pros and cons of a stationary desk vs. a portable office.
Organizational Tools
Whether on-line or on paper, there are many tools to boost organization and productivity.  Evernote is an on-line place to store lists and ideas.  Evernote for Staying Organized Online
Mind mapping software can help generate ideas for projects or for writing.  Mind Maps and Math Problem Solving
A calendar keeps track of appointments and scheduling but a planner focuses on prioritization and short- and long-term planning!  While many people are using their PDA(Personal Digital Assistants)as a calendar, paper planning is alive and well.  
Division with Fractions
"There is no reason to ask why, just invert and multiply" --  this mantra helps many students remember division with fractions (if they know which to invert!).  Good examples can help students understand and solidify their working knowledge and recall of this non-intuitive topic as the answer is usually larger than either of the other two numbers in the problem.  
 
The Common Core State Math Standards Draft  includes division with fractions in grades 5 and 6  -- comments by the public are welcome until April 2.  A favorite division problem is 12 divided by 1/2 (answer = 24).  Check out this month's video: Divide and Conquer.  
 
Brain Teaser 
Numbers thru Funnel

 

Using all the digits from 0,1,2...9, form two 5-digit numbers so that their sum is the

a)smallest 

 

b)greatest

 
 
Answer to March's Brain Teaser: 
Amanda has $3 left.  Amanda started with $64 she spent $34 in store 1, $16 in store 2, $8 in store 3 and $3 in store 4.
Solution to February's Brain Teaser (sorry the link did not work in March)
Thanks for reading!  How can we make this newsletter better?  Please send comments and suggestions to Robin mathconfidence@aol.com
 
Sincerely,
 
Robin "the Math Lady" Schwartz
Math Confidence