Annotated Bibliography

for differentiated units

MIAA 340
Caroline Butler

Place Value: K-3 grade span
Cooper, L.L., Tomayko, M.C. (2011). Understanding place value. Teaching Children
Mathematics, May, p.558-567. www.nctm.org
This article examines data on students who were taught the ancient
Egyptian and Mayan numeration and place value systems in order to better
understand our Hindu-Arabic systems. It details how specific connections
between multiple versions of place value increase the depth of
understanding of the concepts of place value and numeration in primary
students. The authors explain how they extended the mathematical
concepts into social studies, art and even cooking activities as well. I found
this article to be very interesting, insightful and specific enough that I feel
like I could try these ideas in my classroom. I wish I had read it earlier in
the year, but there is no bad time to teach place value in second grade.
Cotter, J.A. (2000). Using language to teach. Teaching Children Mathematics,
October, p.108-114. www.nctmm.org
This article examines the results of a teaching experiment in which English
number names were not used for the first four months of the school year.
American first grade students were taught the Korean/Chinese number
names and only a few specific mathematical tools were used in order to help
the students learn to visualize quantities within groups of five and ten.
There is evidence of the great impact logical naming and efficient tools have
on helping children gain proficiency in manipulating numbers. This article
will cause me to create a poster, and probably more to come in the future,
regarding the names of numbers and how they relate to the number value.
This one really gives me pause and makes me think about what would
happen if we abandoned English number names. I know renaming wont
happen on a large social scale, but what impact could it have if I just taught
the naming system differently for a unit at the start of the school year?
Fuson, K.C., Briars, D.J. (1990). Using a base-ten blocks learning/teaching approach
for first- and second- grade place-value and multidigit addition and
subtraction. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 21 (3), p.180-206.
www.nctm.org
This article examines research regarding the effect of the English naming
system versus the Chinese naming system on the understanding of place
value and the ability to manipulate numbers for children in first through
third grades. It proposes the use of base-ten blocks as the solution to the
disconnect between English number names, number quantity, and place
value. Specific information is given on how the blocks should be used to
teach the ideas of place value, addition, and subtraction. The article is a
useful tool for understanding number-naming issues that impact the
learning of place value. It also explains how base-ten manipulatives can be
better utilized.
Goodrow, A.M., Kidd, K. (2008). Counting school days, decomposing number, and
determining place value. Teaching Children Mathematics, September, p.74-79.
www.nctm.org
This article details the experiences of teachers who have their students
practice decomposing numbers every day. As the daily practice goes on
throughout the school year students produce increasingly difficult and
complicated decompositions of increasingly larger numbers. Evidence
suggests that it improves their understanding of place value ordering,
number quantities, and the ability to manipulate number groupings
proficiently. This article was very affirming to me because decomposing
numbers is something I incorporated into my calendar activities several
years ago. It has also given me some ideas about how to better connect the
idea of decomposing to specific aspects of my instruction on place value.
Geometry: 4-7 grade span
Brewer, E.J. (1999). Geometry and Op Art. Teaching Children Mathematics,
December, p.220-236. www.nctm.org
This article examines a teachers experience using specific tools to help her
students learn geometry concepts. Geoboards with rubber bands, or
chalkboards with strings, were tools she used to help students visualize
foundational concepts such as types of lines, paths, and polygons. She then
extended them to Op Art on the computer to further practice using the ideas
and vocabulary. This article has some practical ideas that can be
implemented to improve conceptualization of geometric principles.
Chang, H., Reys, B.J. (2013). If only Clairaut had dynamic geometric tools.
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 19 (5) p.280-287. www.nctm.org
This article examines the process of engaging curiosity about geometric
ideas and exploring them with students before directly teaching the ideas.
The authors focus on the use of computer programs that allow students to
make predictions and test them by actually manipulating geometric figures
on the computer. The practice of having students explore an idea before
direct instruction is extremely powerful because you have created equal
access to the idea for all students, and you have created a framework of
knowledge from which to begin making connections. If only we had the
facilities for the technology piece too.
Clements, D.H., Battista, M.T. (1990). The effects of Logo on childrens
conceptualizations of angle and polygons. Journal for Research in
Mathematics Education, 21 (5) p.356-370. www.nctm.org
This article analyzes research done on groups of students from the same
fourth grade class who were taught geometric principles using one of two
different computer programs, or no computer at all. The data indicates that,
unlike the other groups, the students who practiced using the Logo program
were able to both visualize geometric figures such as different sized angles
and write instructions for how to create different types of polygons. The
authors argue that the Logo program is the best tool for maximizing the
possibilities of extending and connecting classroom instruction. I think that
the focus on the quality and depth of instruction of geometric principles at
the elementary school level is critical if we want students to understand
how to apply those ideas in formal proofs later.
Linear Equations: 8
th
grade
MacGregor, M., Stacey, K. (1993). Cognitive models underlying students
formulation of simple linear equations. Journal for Research in Mathematics
Education, 24 (4) p.217-232. www.nctm.org
This article analyzes data regarding how algebra students interpret
sentence structure and word meaning when trying to create linear
equations. It discussed several different types of student errors, reversal
errors in particular, and possible causes for them. In the end the authors
conclude that most errors in equation writing are caused by a
misconception in the students mental mathematical model of the
information, not language misinterpretation. The article is informative,
interesting, and has useful information for anyone teaching students to
represent relationships with equations.
Mateas, V. (2013). Connecting algebra to economics. Mathematics Teacher, 107 (4),
p.298-304. www.nctm.org
This article describes a teachers experience utilizing principles of
economics to help his algebra students understand how to graph and write
equations for lines. The author found increased student engagement and
comprehension as he focused on supply and demand curves related to items
of high student interest. The increased comprehension of the relationship
being represented by the data lead to greater understanding of how the
graph related to the data. It also meant greater numbers of students were
able to create an equation from a story, data chart, or graph. This article has
many practical ideas that could easily supplement a curriculum unit related
to graphs and equations of lines.
Matsuura, R., Harless, P. (2012). From arithmetic sequences to linear equations.
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 17 (7), p.436-442. www.nctm.org
The authors of this article attribute many student errors in creating
equations for lines to not understanding arithmetic sequences. The article
details a system of hands-on activities that teach arithmetic sequences and
engage students in addressing common misconceptions in the
understanding of equations for the slope of a line. This article gives specific
techniques that can be used to help students understand how to represent
the relationship in a pattern with an equation.