Math Rationale

In the math portion of this unit, students will have the opportunity to participate in activities that access the various learning modalities. Discovering the preferred style in which one becomes intuitively aware, conceptualizes, arranges and recalls information, can be a fundamental step in exploring one’s identity. Students begin with lessons incorporating the auditory channel, proceed to lessons accessing the visual modality, and end by experiencing lessons that utilize kinesthetic/tactile opportunities.

The content standards addressed in the math lessons are developmentally appropriate for middle level students. Students are asked to employ number sense as they find solutions to computational, algebraic, and geometric problems. The learning goal of communicating is demonstrated by students as they must confront problems, translate information, and relay their findings both orally and in writing. The working on teams’ goal is apparent as students share ideas, develop and coordinate group approaches, and learn from each other during the math activities. The learning goal of solving problems is at the core of mathematics. The culminating activity for each lesson is to solve a problem in which students demonstrate math knowledge, math strategies, and communication skills in order to be successful.

The optimum goal for learning that we hope to endorse in this unit is making connections. Through math, students learn the tools, language, and ways of thinking to make connections across disciplines. Identity exploration for students: learning who they are, how they learn, and what they can do with it, can be the first step in connecting themselves with the global community.