Make It Real!
With Integers
The first of four things we need to do when teaching math so kids will remember.
There are 4 very important things we as educators (whether you are a parent or classroom teacher) need to keep in mind when teaching math. In this 4 part series, I will be elaborating on each of these 4 things as they relate to the teaching of integers (positive and negative numbers). Keep in mind, these 4 things could relate to any math concept we are trying to instill on our children.
That being said, until the textbook companies catch up with my ideals - we will have to improvise. So I suggest that before having students tackle a naked problem - they will first have to write a situation for which the problem can be used. Of course, this will have to be practiced together before students may feel comfortable writing stories on their own. So let’s take a look at -5 + 8. Start by asking students to think of a situation in which this number sentence could be used to find the answer. Perhaps have students work in pairs to start and share out their stories. Having a discussion about how the various stories are alike and different is an important part of this lesson. (Ex: Starting on the ground floor of a large office building, I went down five floors and then went up 8. Now I’m on the 3rd floor.)
The Great Unknown
Temperature-related problems are another scenario in which to interact with integers and make it real for students. Although this might seem like a fairly simplistic scenario, it offers a level of complexity when students are presented with all three types of addition and subtraction problems: result unknown, change unknown, and start unknown.
Now for a bit about the 3 types of problems. We tend to focus heavily on the first type of problem while ignoring the other two. Unfortunately, real-life throws all types of problems at us so it is important to practice not only with the result unknown but also with change unknown and start unknown. Hopefully, this chart helps differentiate between them and gives you a starting point when working with your kids.
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Sources:
Brundiers, K., Wiek, A., & Redman, C. L. (2010). Real-world learning opportunities in sustainability: from classroom into the real world. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(4), 308-324.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2014. Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Wessman-Enzinger, N. M., & Mooney, E. S. (2014). Making Sense of Integers through Storytelling. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 20(4), 202.
doi:10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.20.4.0202