This book is designed for a mathematics for elementary school teachers course where instructors choose to focus on and/or take an activities approach to learning. It provides inductive activities for prospective elementary school teachers and incorporates the use of physical models, manipulatives, and visual images to develop concepts and encourage higher-level thinking. This text contains an activity set that corresponds to each section of the companion text, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Conceptual Approach which is also by Bennett/Nelson. The Activities Approach text can be used independently or along with its companion volume. The authors are pleased to welcome Laurie Burton, PhD, Western Oregon University to this edition of Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: An Activity Approach.

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: An Activity Approach

Activity Sets

1: Problem Solving

1.1 Seeing and Extending Patterns With Pattern Blocks
1.2 Geometric Number Patterns With Color Tiles
1.3 Solving Story Problems With Algebra Pieces

2: Sets, Functions and Reasoning

2.1 Sorting and Classifying With Attribute Pieces
2.2 Graphing Spirolaterals
2.3 Logic Problems For Cooperative Learning Groups

3: Whole Numbers

3.1 Models For Numeration With Multibase Pieces
3.2 Adding and Subtracting With Multibase Pieces
3.3 Multiplying With Base-Ten Pieces
3.4 Dividing With Base-Ten Pieces

4: Number Theory

4.1 Models For Even Numbers, Odd Numbers, Factors and Primes
4.2 Models For Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple

5: Integers and Fractions

5.1 Black and Red Tile Model For Integers
5.2 Fraction-Bar Model For Equality and Inequality
5.3 Computing With Fraction Bars

6: Decimals: Rational and Irrational

6.1 Decimal Squares Model
6.2 Operations With Decimal Squares
6.3 A Model For Introducing Percent
6.4 Irrational Numbers On the Geoboard

7: Statistics

7.1 Scatter Plots: Looking for Relationships
7.2 Analyzing Data, Sampling and Simulation
7.3 Statistical Distributions: Observations and Applications

8: Probability

8.1 Probability Experiments
8.2 Multistage Probability Experiments

9: Geometric Figures

9.1 Figures On Rectangular and Circular Geoboards
9.2 Regular and Semiregular Tessellations
9.3 Models for Regular and Semiregular Polyhedra
9.4 Creating Symmetric Figures: Pattern Blocks and Paper Folding

10: Measurement

10.1 Measuring With Metric Units
10.2 Areas On Geoboards
10.3 Models For Volume and Surface Area

11: Motions In Geometry

11.1 Locating Sets of Points in the Plane
11.2 Drawing Escher-Type Tessellations
11.3 Devices For Indirect Measurement