Description
Who can use these books? Most of the author’s teaching experience is within the Waldorf school system. Yet these books can be effectively used by any teacher or homeschooling parent who wishes to teach meaningful, age-appropriate math.
Our Making Math Meaningful™ workbooks are specifically designed to lead the students along a path of discovery. The teacher needs to carefully guide the students along this path. The problems contained in these workbooks are NOT randomly ordered or selected. They are chosen to promote the development of mathematical thinking in a very conscious way. As teachers of math, our most important task is to develop mathematical thinking in our students. This thinking needs to be flexible and creative.
About our Source Book for Teaching Middle School Math:
When I started teaching at a Waldorf school, I was surprised to find that there were no textbooks. I was expected to create my own materials. This newfound freedom was both exciting and daunting. I proceeded to research what was happening at other Waldorf schools regarding math curriculum, and have created and discovered much along the way.
This book is intended to share with others what I have discovered and developed during this journey.
While most of the material is not overly difficult, much of it is foreign, even for math majors. In writing this book, I have assumed that the reader may be weak in math. I hope that with some effort, even the most difficult topic is understandable.
This book is both a curriculum guide for middle school math and a source book for great ideas that enrich any teacher’s math lessons.
Here are the Units in our 8th grade workbook:
- Number Bases. This unit is a wonderful way to challenge students and develop real mathematical thinking. Number bases can be part of a main lesson.
- Pythagorean Theorem. Building upon what was begun in seventh grade, this relatively brief unit thoroughly explores the Pythagorean Theorem. It works with the square root algorithm, which should be introduced before beginning the worksheets in this unit.
- Mensuration. “Mensuration” means the study of measurement. In eighth grade, we focus on areas and volumes. Mensuration can be part of a main lesson.
- Percents & Growth. I introduce percents in sixth grade, cover the basics in seventh grade, and then to go into depth in eighth grade. If done well, the students will enter high school having a firm grasp of percents.
- Proportions and Dimensional Analysis. This is the most challenging unit in the book. It builds upon what was introduced during the Measurement unit and Ratios unit in seventh grade. Dimensional Analysis consists mostly of changing units (e.g., “58 pounds is how many kilograms?”). This unit also includes the topics of Density and Rates. There are a few questions that involve Archimedes’ principle, which ought to be covered in the physics main lesson before beginning this unit.
- Algebra. This brief, but important unit can be covered in just three weeks. It is largely a review of what was introduced in the seventh grade Algebra main lesson. Since this unit is so short, and since it is intended to make students practice their algebra skills, it does not include any Group Sheets. In this unit, I expect the work to be done in a very particular manner. With other topics, I encourage students to do the work in their head as much as possible. However, with algebra, I want them to show all of the steps, even if the answer may be immediately obvious to them. This is important so that the students can develop good form and organization skills that will be needed when they study algebra in high school.
- End-of-Year Review. In my sixth and seventh grade workbooks, review is woven into the assignments throughout the year. However, in this eighth grade workbook, review is done at the end of the year.
About our Puzzle & Game Book:
Are you looking for a new math challenge for your students? Do you need a resource of ideas that will give your students the opportunity to experience the thrill of mathematics? And, what about providing a good puzzle or game that will give everyone the understanding of true problem-solving? Randy Evans, Mick Follari and Jamie York have combined their knowledge and skills to create a puzzle and game book that is a perfect reference for the math classroom and for middle school and high school teachers everywhere.
You should also consider signing up for…
Our Grade-Specific Online Workshop: The Art of Teaching 8th Grade Math
