Research Ideas

 

Mathematics (funded by SSHRC + Fields)

  1. Infinity in my hand (gr. 3: fractions, infinity, limit)
  2. Making sums of 10 (gr. 3-4: patterning, linear functions)
  3. How to fence a pen (gr. 2-4: area, perimeter, optimization)
  4. Where parallel lines meet (gr. 2: geometry of a sphere)
  5. Probability race (gr. 2-4: probability with dice)
  6. Odds and evens (gr. 2, 7: growth patterns, odds, evens)
  7. Low floor, high ceiling (big ideas for young mathematicians)
  8. I don't like math anymore (I love it now! - math-for-teachers)
  9. Math performance (what did you do in math today?)
  10. Research performance (arts-informed research dissemination)
Mathematics (funded by KNAER)
  1. How much is a billion? (gr. 3: Fermi questions, social justice)
  2. Math pattern trains (gr. 1-4: growth patterns, slope, linear functions)
  3. Math waves around us (gr. 3-4: patterning, trigonometry)
Science
  1. Cough, cough (gr. 4: pollution, social justice)
  2. Eating plastic (gr. 3-4: the great plastic dump, social justice)
  3. Refraction action (gr. 2-3: refraction)
  4. Will it float, will it sink? (gr. 2-3: density, buoyancy)
  5. Gravity's pull (gr. 2-3: gravity, density)
Peter Jaffe on violence & abuse
  1. Never met a happy bully (bullying and breaking the silence)
  2. The lizard in your brain (violence in the media)

 

 

 

 


 

Odds and Evens

1. "Odds and evens " in grades 2 and 7

How it unfolded in the classroom ... Get the lesson plan ... (pdf)

  • Second grade students read the story Who's the Big Bad Wolf?
  • They modeled and explored the math in the story (using linking cubes)
  • They practiced telling stories they could share at home about their math experience
  • They drew pictures and wrote to descibe what they learned
  • Their writing was compiled to create the first three of the four songs shown below: 1. Chocolate Bar; 2. Chocolate Bar v.2; and 3. Some Odd Numbers
  • Their seventh grade math buddies then came to their class: the second graders read them the story; they explained the math they learned; they sang their two songs
  • The seventh graders went to their class and used concrete materials to model and then to write algebraic expresions for the sums of the first N odd, even and Natural numbers.
  • Then the seventh graders wrote and sang a song to the second graders: Numbers

2. Seeing "Odds and evens " through art

Below is an artistic representation of "Odds and evens." Artistically rendered by Ann Langeman (Faculty of Education, UWO). Designed by George Gadanidis.