Mathematics and FCIT

Looking for a fun activity for your algebra students?  Try Spaghetti Bridges!   I have done this lesson and found it to be a success in the classroom.  It is appropriate for middle and high school math students.  The Sunshine State Standards addressed are:  MA.8.S.3.1 (Select, organize and construct appropriate data displays, including box and whisker plots, scatter plots, and lines of best fit to convey information and make conjectures about possible relationships) and MA.912.A.3.11 (Write an equation of a line that models a data set and use the equation or the graph to make predictions. Describe the slope of the line in terms of the data, recognizing that the slope is the rate of change).  The lesson plan includes teacher notes and student activity sheets, in addition to assessment questions.  Especially helpful is the video clip and narrative showing real students in action on this lab.  Your classes will enjoy collecting their own data and then interpreting the results.

Probability concepts are taught at several different academic levels.  Undoubtedly, you have had to draw bags of different colored marbles, spinners, and/or dice for your probability lessons.  On Clipart ETC you will find an abundance of probability tools that you can use when creating activities.

Bag of marbles for probability activity

Do students ever ask you, “Where are we ever going to use this?”   On April 5, 2009 an article written by Gregory McColm, an associate professor of mathematics at the University of South Florida, appeared in the Tampa Tribune to promote Math Awareness.  Figuring Out The Pattern Of Math answers that age-old question.  April is Mathematics Awareness Month.  This year’s theme is Mathematics and Climate, as announced by The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.  For resources, visit the Math Awareness website.  Take this opportunity to show your students how important math is in their lives.