ERIC Number: ED474729
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Using Literature as a Vehicle to Explore Proportional Reasoning.
Thompson, Denisse R.; Austin, Richard A.; Beckmann, Charlene E.
The development of proportional reasoning is a major focus of the middle grades curriculum. The challenge for educators is to find contexts that engage students and that facilitate the study of proportional reasoning. This chapter explores proportional thinking with students in grades 3-8 by using a number of books in which the underlying stories center on proportional thinking. Results indicate that literature provides an effective vehicle for engaging middle school students in mathematics. Middle grades students became engaged in doing mathematics as a result of reading books, and the contexts seem to offer insight into ways in which to engage in mathematics. (KHR)
Descriptors: Arithmetic, Concept Formation, Fractions, Instructional Materials, Mathematics Education, Middle Schools, Rational Numbers, Reading, Teaching Methods
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1906 Association, Reston, VA 20191-1502; tel: 703-620-9840 or 800-235-7566; web site: www.nctm.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: In: Making Sense of Fractions, Ratios, and Proportions. 2002 Yearbook. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2002. p130-36. For full document, see SE 067 587.
