Resources for Middle School Mathematics

• Assessment - Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
  http://www.enc.org/topics/assessment/

  A section of ENC Online is specifically devoted to the topic of assessment. By clicking on "Selected Resources," teachers can find a selection of professional development resources, curriculum materials, and Internet sites on assessment.

  
  
• Before It's Too Late
  http://ed.gov/americacounts/glenn/report.pdf

  After a year of exploring ways to improve mathematics and science teaching at all grades nationwide, the National Commission on Mathematics & Science Teaching for the 21st Century released this report to the nation.

  
  
• Connect Archives
  http://www.synergylearning.org/connect/index.html

  Archives for Connect, A Magazine of Teachers' Innovations in K-8 Science and Math, are available from Synergy Learning. The articles provide unique teaching ideas, which reflect scientific literacy and National Science Education Standards. Association, a division of the American Library Association, provides regularly updated lists of young adult books recommended by both librarians and teens. It also contains information about Teen Read Week, tips to encourage reading, and links to useful sites and publications for educators concerned about literacy.

  
  
• Connected Mathematics Project
  http://www.mth.msu.edu/cmp/

  Welcome to the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) website. This website has been designed to help teachers, administrators, parents, and students learn more about this middle school curriculum. The US Department of Education announced CMP is one of five curricula to achieve exemplary status. A review was conducted by the Mathematics and Science Education Expert Panel. 61 programs were submitted for the review with ten receiving recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. Five received the highest recognition of "exemplary" and five received the recognition of "promising." Connected Mathematics is the only middle school program identified as exemplary

  
  
• Curricula for Teaching Fractions
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?a
  ccno=ED433184

  This ERIC digest article by Gayle Millsaps and Michelle Reed describes curricula that extend student ideas of fraction concepts, use manipulative materials in powerful ways, and help students connect fraction concepts. The curricula attempt to avoid students' conceptualizing a fraction as "a piece of pie to eat" because they have seen only pie charts.

  
  
• Department of Education, Annual Plan 1999 : Objective 2.3. Every eighth-grader masters challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra and geometry
  http://www.ed.gov/pubs/AnnualPlan/obj2-3.html

  Mathematics is a basic skill--the gateway to learning many more advanced skills, and a prerequisite for success in a wide variety of careers. Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which compared mathematics and science achievement of students from the U.S. and other countries, show that the U.S. is the only country that scored above the international average at the fourth grade and below the international average at the eighth grade. This section of the Department of Educations annual report outlines the governments proposals and programs for improving mathematical performance by the eighth grade.

  
  
• Educational Technology
  http://enc.org/topics/edtech/

  Find the best ways to use technology to enhance teaching and learning. Much of this material was published in the "Integrating Technology in the Classroom" issue of ENC Focus.

  
  
• Educational Technology Resources
  http://enc.org/topics/edtech/selections/

  Resources to help teachers make the best use of technology in teaching their day-to-day math curriculum.

  
  
• Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC)
  http://www.enc.org/

  This Web site, developed by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (EDC), is a great first-stop resource for K-12 math and science educators. The goals of the ENC, located at Ohio State University, are to identify effective resources, create high-quality professional development materials and disseminate useful information and products that improve K - 12 science and mathematics teaching and learning.

  
  
• Essential Skills in Mathematics: A Comparative Analysis of American and Japanese Assessments of Eighth-Graders
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=97885

  The definition of essential skills in mathematics has long been a goal of mathematics educators and others interested in the school mathematics curriculum. This document was designed to help strengthen the efforts in the United States toward developing foci for the mathematics curriculum.

  
  
• Graphing Calculators in the Mathematics Classroom
  http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed433183.html

  This ERIC digest article provides a sampling of four types of enrichment with graphing calculators that are used for expediency, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and integration.

  
  
• Help in Making Change: SummerMath for Teachers Serves as a Model
  http://www.enc.org/topics/change/practice/cases/documents/0,
  1341,FOC-000686-362,00.shtm

  The teacher change section of ENC Online includes professional development activities, selected materials from the ENC collection, and stories from math and science teachers about the process of change, including stories from the SummerMath program.

  
  
• Improving Mathematics and Science Instruction for LEP Middle and High School Students Through Language Activities
  http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/symposia/third/reyhner.htm

  This paper presents an overview of a series of studies on how to improve the education of ethnic minority limited English proficient students in general, and how to improve the education of LEP American Indian students in the areas of mathematics and science in particular.

  
  
• Making Change in Junior High/Middle School Mathematics: Breaking the Lecture Mold in Algebra Class
  http://www.enc.org/change/02expl/2casestu/cd381/381.htm

  The article outlines the findings of Jan Schott, a mathematics teacher at Hampshire Regional High School in Westhampton, Massachusetts, as she experimented with alternate methods of presentation in her secondary level math classes.

  
  
• Manipula Math with JAVA
  http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/index.html

  Showcasing the power of the Internet as a visual aid in mathematics, this site offers middle school mathematics students (and others) animations and interactive programs that can be manipulated to illustrate mathematical concepts.

  
  
• Mathematics and Middle Schools Students of Mexican Descent: The Effects of Thematically Integrated Instruction
  http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/ncrcdsll/rr5.htm

  This paper reports the effects of thematically integrated mathematics instruction on achievement, attitudes, and motivation in mathematics among middle school students of Mexican descent. A school-university collaborative effort led to the development and testing of a thematic approach undertaken as a means of contextualizing instruction for students considered to be at risk for school failure.

  
  
• Mathematics Projects that Foster a Critical Look at Our World
  http://www.enc.org/topics/realworld/online/documents/0,1341,
  FOC-001733-index,00.shtm

  This article describes real-world mathematics problems to make math relevant to middle school students.

  
  
• MathNerds
  http://www.mathnerds.com/

  Created by the Center for Advancement of Teaching, Xavier University, MathNerds isn't a "problem solving" service for all things math. What this site will do is give hints, suggestions and explanations to help students and teachers figure out math problems. Team members who respond to questions are generally professional mathematicians holding advanced degrees in mathematics. You must read and agree with their terms and conditions before you submit a question

  
  
• Real World Math & Science
  http://www.enc.org/topics/realworld/

  Teachers who are looking for resources that provide for real-world problem solving will find many examples under "Hands-on Learning."

  
  
• Synergy Learning
  http://www.synergylearning.org

  Synergy Learning is a comprehensive site covering math, science, and design technology for Grades K-8. Many computer-using educators will be familiar with its magazine Connect®. Archives from the magazine, information on inquiry learning, a sample magazine issue, and resources for science labs are available on the site. Synergy Learning offers support materials through free online information, summer institutes and workshops, and magazine subscriptions.

  
  
• The Principals Of Educational Reform: Supporting Mathematics And Science Teaching In Your School -- A Handbook For Elementary And Middle School Principals
  http://www.inverness-research.org/reports/prinmonoab.html

  This monograph is written explicitly for school principals and is meant to help the principal orchestrate a process of school-wide improvement in the teaching of mathematics, science and technology (MST). The ideas presented in this monograph are drawn from the experience of nearly a dozen school principals who are located in the large cities of New York State and who played a central role in the New York State Systemic Initiative.

  
  
• The Show-Me Project
  http://www.showmecenter.missouri.edu/

  The Show-Me Center, in partnership with five NSF-sponsored middle grades curriculum development satellites (University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, University of Montana, Institute for Research on Learning, Educational Development Center) and publishers (Dale Prentice Hall Publications, Creative Publications, Voyager Expanded Learning, Encyclopedia Brittanica, and McDougal-Littell) provides information and resources needed to support selection and implementation of standards-based middle grades mathematics curricula.

  
  

This resource is developed and maintained by The Education Alliance at Brown University. Seed funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Send comments to: loom@alliance.brown.edu