Cobb County ESOL

Interactive Math Tool

NASA's Smart Skies provides interactive tool for students to work on math problems

NASA has released an interactive online tool that enables students to visualize and manipulate three linked representations of a distance-rate-time problem. (Great strategies for ELLs!) The tool format features two airplanes—each flying at a constant speed—on merging jet routes, corresponding distance-vs.-time graphs, and the corresponding linear equations. The students can manipulate an airplane's speed and starting position on its route, rotate or shift the associated line on the graph, and change the parameters of the associated equation. As students change one representation, the others are updated.

The free classroom materials include the tool, student workbooks, assessments, teacher guides, and alignments to Math Georgia Performance Standards for grades 5-8 and Math 1.  This new tool provides distance-rate-time investigations that engage students in the challenges faced by air traffic controllers.

For more info and the online tool, go to
http://www.smartskies.nasa.gov/flyby

Cobb County ESOL Math Blog

Rob Donovan is the District Lead ESOL Teacher who provides assistance with  Math and ELLs. The Cobb County ESOL Math blog is full of ideas and resources on how to successfully teach math to our ELLs.

Click here to go to the Math ESOL Blog.

Word Problem Fun

WORD PROBLEM FUN!

Want to add some math to your ESOL class?
Rob Donovan, our new Lead ESOL teacher has put together some math problems for us.
Check out the following word problems adapted from http://www.stfx.ca/special/mathproblems/:

1)    How many addition signs must be placed between the digits 987654321 in order to obtain a total of 99?  You are not allowed to move the digits!

2)    Draw an analog clock.  Divide the face of the clock into three regions (they do not have to be equivalent in size) so that the sum of the numbers in each region are equivalent.

3)    According to experts the first 4 moves in a chess game can be played in 197299 totally different ways. If it takes 30 seconds to make one move, how long would it take one player to try every possible set of 4 moves?

For more problems like these, download the sheet here: Download word_problem_fun_1.doc
Hopefully, he will provide an answer key soon for those of us who are mathematically challenged!

Reading a Math Textbook

For some advice on how to read a math textbook, check out "Reading a Math Textbook" by Dr. Cynthia Arem of Pima Community College.