Harry Potter and the Magic of Mathematics

The Middle School Years Represent an important time in the formation of an individual's lifelong attitudes toward mathematics. Middle school teachers are faced with the challenge of convincing their students that mathematics is an exciting, useful, and creative field of study. Interdisciplinary approaches to mathematics have been useful in accomplishing this goal. In particular, connecting mathematics to literature is an inventive way to capture students' interests, since examples from literature can be used to teach important mathematical concepts in an exciting and innovative manner. Many classic literary texts are rich in mathematical content, including Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. However, to stimulate students' interest, it is important to find interconnections between mathematics and current popular children's literature.

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Some Big Ideas of Algebra in the Middle Grades

Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School ◽

10.5951/mtms.6.1.0026 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 26-31

Author(s):

Thomas G. Edwards

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Teachers ◽

Physical Sciences ◽

Mathematical Concepts ◽

Academic Fields ◽

Big Ideas ◽

Algebraic Concepts ◽

And Algebra ◽

Support Students ◽

Students Success

Without question, mathematics in general, and algebra in particular, have served as “gatekeepers” to the study of other academic fields, such as engineering, the physical sciences, computer science, and medicine, as well as to increased vocational opportunities in technical support fields. As a result, middle school teachers have felt increased pressure both to teach algebraic concepts directly and to develop mathematical concepts in ways that will support students' formal study of algebra in the future. A recent call for manuscripts in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School noted that “the rate of students' success with this subject has been linked to the careful, planned development of algebra as a way of thinking about and modeling various phenomena at every grade level” (NCTM 1999). Such a careful, planned development requires clearly identifying the “big ideas” of algebra that are appropriate to middle school.

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Development and Psychometric Report of a Middle-School Mathematics Vocabulary Measure

Assessment for Effective Intervention ◽

10.1177/1534508418820116 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 226-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Elizabeth M. Hughes ◽

Sarah R. Powell ◽

Joo-Young Lee

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Teachers ◽

High Reliability ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Middle School Mathematics ◽

Mathematical Language ◽

School Teachers ◽

Mathematical Concepts ◽

Mathematics Vocabulary ◽

Language Analysis

Proficiency with mathematics requires an understanding of mathematical language. Students are required to make sense of both spoken and written mathematical terms. An essential component of mathematical language involves the understanding of the vocabulary of mathematics in which students connect vocabulary terms to mathematical concepts or procedures. In this brief psychometric report, we developed and tested a measure of mathematics vocabulary for students in the late middle-school grades (i.e., Grades 7 and 8) to determine the reliability of such a measure and to learn how students answer questions about mathematics vocabulary terms. The vocabulary terms on the measure were those terms determined as essential by middle-school teachers for success with middle-school mathematical language. Analysis indicates the measure demonstrated high reliability and validity. Student scores were widely distributed and students, on average, only answered two-thirds of vocabulary terms correctly.

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