Math Smart! - by Judith A Muschla & Gary R Muschla (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Here's a super collection of 222 reproducible activity sheets to stimulate and challenge your students in all areas of math-- from whole numbers to data analysis -- while emphasizing problem solving, critical thinking, and the use of technology for today's curriculum!

From the Back Cover

Here's a super collection of 222 reproducible activity sheets to stimulate and challenge your students in all areas of math -- from whole numbers to data analysis-- while emphasizing problem solving, critical thinking, and the use of technology for today's curriculum!

These activities teach students how to think with numbers, recognize relationships, and make connections between mathematical concepts. You pick the activity appropriate for their needs ... Let them self-check their answers ... encourage the use of a calculator ... or provide further challenges with activities that have multiple answers.

For quick and easy use, all of these ready-to-use activities are organized into seven convenient sections and printed in a spiral-bound format that fold flat for photocopying of any page as many times as needed. Following is just a sample of the activities you'll find in each section:

• WHOLE NUMERS: Theory and Operations contains 40 activities on basic operations, factors (Finding the Greatest Common Factor), multiples (Multiplication and Division Crossnumber Puzzle), writing and solving word problem (Writing Word Problems with Specific Phrases), divisibility rules, patterns, and sequences (Finding Missing Numbers in Patterns and Sequences).
• FRACTIONS, DECIMALS, AND PERCENTS offers 45 activities covering fractions, decimals, and percents (Fractions in Everyday Use), place value, ratio and proportion, comparing, ordering (Ordering Fractions, Decimals, and Percents), discounts, and sales tax (Percents and Sales Tax).
• MEASUREMENT provides 20 activities that address English and Metric measure (Using Metric Units of Weight), conversion of length, weight, and capacity (Converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit), time (Using Time Cards), and temperature.
• GEOMETRY includes 45 activities that cover angles (Calculating the Measure of Angles in a Diagram), polygons, the Pythagorean Theorem, congruent and similar triangles (Proving Two Triangles Are Congruent), circles, properties of geometric figures (Identifying Geometric Figures in Circles), area, perimeter and volume (Finding Volume and Surface Area)
• ALGEBRA features 40 activities, including the order of operations, integers (Multiplying and Dividing Integers), expression (Matching and Evaluating Expressions), linear equations and inequalities (Solving Inequalities), binomials, trinomials (Factoring Binomials and Trinomials), and graphing (Finding the Slope and Y-intercept of a Line).
• DATA ANALYSIS present 12 activities on bar graphs, pictograms, histograms, line graphs (Creating Multiple Line Graphs), circle graphs (Understanding Circle Graphs), and measures of central tendencies (Using the Mean, Median, Mode, and Range)
• POTPOURRI offers 20 diverse activities, such as mystery numbers (Facts and Mystery Numbers), following math direction, deciphering codes and dates (Deciphering Date in Roman Numerals), symmetry (Lines of Symmetry and Braille), and mathematical palindromes.

You'll find that the activities in Sections 1-6 progress form simple to complex, follow the sequence of a typical math curriculum, and are accompanied by answer keys. Each activity has easy-to-follow directions and most require no additional materials other than the activity sheet itself.

Whether you are seeking materials to supplement your current program, provide further challenges, or reinforce specific concepts or skills, MATH SMART! Gives you hundreds of motivating ways to help your student understand, explore, and better appreciate math for the 21st century.

About the Author

Judith A. Muschla received her B.A. in Mathematics from Douglass College at Rutgers University and is certifies to teach K-12. She has taught mathematics in South River, New Jersey for over 25 years. She has taught math at various levels at South River High School, ranging from basic skills through Algebra II. She has also taught at South River Middle School where, in her capacity as a Team Leader, she helped revise the mathematics curriculum to reflect the standards of the NCTM, coordinated interdisciplinary unites, and conducted mathematics workshops for teachers and parents. She was the recipient of the 1999-91 Governor's Teacher Recognition Program in New Jersey. Along with teaching, she is currently a member of the Standards Review Panel for the Mathematics Core Curriculum Content Standards in New Jersey.

Gary Robert Muschla received his B.A. and M.A.T. from Trenton State College and taught at Appleby School in Spotswood, New Jersey for more than 25 years. He spent many of his years in the classroom teaching mathematics at the elementary level. He has also taught reading and writing and has been a successful freelance write, editor, and ghostwriter. He is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Writers Association.