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STANDARD 4.5 - All students will regularly and routinely use calculators, computers, manipulatives, and other mathematical tools to enhance mathematical thinking, understanding, and power.

Note - Internet links at bottom of page

Descriptive Statement: Calculators, computers, manipulatives, and other mathematical tools need to be used by students in both instructional and assessment activities. These tools should be used, not to replace mental math and paper-and-pencil computational skills, but to enhance understanding of mathematics and the power to use mathematics. Historically, people have developed and used manipulatives (such as fingers, base ten blocks, geoboards, and algebra tiles) and mathematical devices (such as protractors, coordinate systems, and calculators) to help them understand and develop mathematics. Students should explore both new and familiar concepts with calculators and computers, but should also become proficient in using technology as it is used by adults, that is, for assistance in solving real-world problems.
 
Topic/Unit

Timeline

 Cumulative Progress Indicators Objectives Suggested Activities Materials Evaluation
Mathematical Tools

Timeline

  1. All year
  2. 2nd Q
  3. 2nd Q
  4. 2nd Q
 Building upon knowledge and skills gained in the preceding grades, and demonstrating continued progress in Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, by the end of Grade 8, students will:
  1. Use a variety of technologies to evaluate and validate problem solutions, and to investigate the properties of functions and their graphs.
  1. Verify solutions to problems using scientific calculators
  2. Create spreadsheets to explore real-life problems
  3. Explore the graphs of the function families using graphing calculators
  4. Use graphing calculators to graph the solution to a system of linear equations
  1. Look up "Calculators" in the index for specific examples.
  2. See Lesson 4-8.
  3. See Lessons 6-6 and 6-7.
  4. See Lesson 5-7.
  1. See teacher’s edition for a list of materials needed for each activity
  2. Spreadsheet software, Investigations software "Hazard City Messengers", math journal
  3. Graph paper, spreadsheet software, Investigations software "Unidentified Flying Cubes", math journal
  4. Graph paper, ruler, math journal
  1. Self assessment
  2. "On Your Own" examples, teaching resources provided by the publisher
  3. Same as #2
  4. Same as #2 and group assessment

 
 
Topic/Unit

Timeline

 Cumulative Progress Indicators Objectives Suggested Activities Materials Evaluation
Mathematical Tools

Timeline

  1. 1st Q
  2. 2nd Q
  3. 4th Q
  1. Use computer spreadsheets and graphing programs to organize and display quantitative information and to investigate properties of functions.
  1. Employ technology to evaluate variable expressions
  2. Create spreadsheets to evaluate formulas
  3. Employ technology to find simple and compound interest
  1. See Lesson 3-9.
  2. See Lesson 4-8.
  3. See Lesson 10-8.
  1. Spreadsheet software
  2. Spreadsheet software, Investigations software "Hazard City Messengers", math journal
  3. Spreadsheet software, math journal
  1. "On Your Own" examples, teaching resources provided by the publisher
  2. Same as #1
  3. Same as #1 and group assessment

 
Resources

Math Scavenger Hunt

Calculator.com  - free access to online calculators to help you solve problems and answer questions.

Time Zone Converter

How Far is it?  -This service uses data from the US Census and a supplementary list of cities around the world to find the latitude and longitude of two places, and then calculates the distance between them (as the crow flies). It
also provides a map showing the two places.

IMATTT / CIESE Project  -Integrating Mathematics & Technology in the Middle school - A Teacher  Professional
                                                    Development Program