Support Materials --

Math for All-Plus

Connecting Again!

Can you count the beat of the music, see the geometry in art, hear the rhythmical patterns in poetry? You are using mathematics in all of these. In this program you will see that mathematics is found everywhere. We use it even without realizing it. We will be making mathematical connections to several subject area and real life situations.

During this math program you will help your children:

discover the shapes that surround us
examine the pattern in a poem
have fun using estimation and meaurement in a grocery store

Activity #1

Shapes in our World
Materials:

Different leaves
Paper and Pencil

In this activity you will discover how mathematics surrounds us in our world. Ask yourself these questions while you do the activities.

Which shapes do you see most often?
Why do you think that shape was used?
Did you observe any symmetry?
Are all leaves symmetrical?
Through the magic of video we will take a field trip to see man-made structures in cities across the United States. As you look at the pictures together, help your child identify the different geometric shapes you both observe- rectangle, triangle, semi-circle, etc. Do some buildings have more than one shape? Try drawing the shapes you see and naming them.
In nature there are just as many interesting shapes to identify. Using leaves you find or enlargements of the ones pictured on the opposite page, identify the shapes you see. Are the leaves symmetrical? What shapes do their "skeletons" have?
Additional Activities: Look around the room and identify as many different shapes as you can. You may also want to take your children on a neighborhood walk and look for the many different geometric shapes that are in the world around us.

Activity #2

Poetic Patterns
Materials:

Pen or Pencil

In this activity you will examine the patterns in a poem. Start by reading aloud the poem printed here. Do you hear rhythm? Next, count the words in each line and write the number at the end of the line. When you have counted all of the lines in the poem, look at the numbers. Is there a pattern? Describe what you see.
If I Were A Tree
If I were a tree,
I'd stand mighty and tall.
Strong winds could blow
round me,
I never would fall.

If I were a tree,
I'd stretch up to the sky.
I'd pinch and I'd tickle.
The clouds passing by.

If I were a tree,
I'd nest birds in my hair.
I'd give shade from the sun,
I'd always be there.

-Martin Shaw
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Teaching K-8, Norwalk, CT 06854. From the August/September 1994 issue.

If you were to write another verse to this poem, would you know how many words to use in each line? Does each verse have a shape? Does the poem have a shape? How would you describe the shapes that you see?
Additional Activities:
Write a verse or a poem with the same pattern. Look for another poem and see if you can find the pattern and the shape just as you did with, "If I Were A Tree."

Activity #3

Red, Yellow, and Orange!
Materials:

A Scale (ounces and/or pound units)
1-2lbs. of medium size apples
1 medium size orange
1 medium size banana
Calculator (optional)
Paper and pencil

Which weighs more, a medium size apple, a medium size orange, or a medium size banana? How many apples are there in a pound? How much does each apple cost? In this activity you will explore estimation and measurement in ways that can be practical when you have your child help you shop in the produce section of the grocery store.
Note: when measuring weight, there are 16 ounces in 1 pound.
Begin by estimating which weighs more, an apple, an orange, or a banana. Write down estimates. Now weigh the one you think weighs most and record its weight using ounces. Weigh the next one and record its weight. Do the same with the last one. How close were your estimates? Were you surprised at the results? If you cored the apple and peeled the banana and orange, would the results remain the same?
Next, estimate how many apples it will take to weigh one pound. To find out, start by weighing one apple and keep adding until you get a pound. You may be a little under or over, but get as close as you can. How close was your estimation? How would you find the cost of one apple? If apples are $.89 a pound, how much is one apple?
Additonal Activities:
Some things are sold by the pound, some by the "bunch". Discuss some other ways produce items are sold.