Course Information
for Math
320, Spring 2008
Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers
Reference #16950, MWF 9:30
CW 209
e-mail: cochrane@math.ksu.edu
Office hours: MWF 10:30 and by appointment
Text: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, A Contemporary Approach, 7th Edition by Gary L. Musser, William F. Burger and Blake E. Peterson (available at K-State Union Book Store and Varneys). Paperback or Hardback version.
Course Objectives: The
purpose of this course is to help prepare you to be a teacher of
mathematics at the elementary school level. The primary objective
is for you to obain a mastery of the basic
mathematical concepts that arise during the kindergarten through 8th
grade years. Such mastery requires command of the subject material at a
level above the one you will be teaching at. The emphasis of this
course is more on content knowledge than on the methodology of
teaching, which is dealt with in EDEL 473.
As indicated in the standards, it is important that future teachers
not only understand the basic concepts of the content areas they are
going to teach, but also be able to explain the concepts in
different ways and be able to relate them to the students'
own experience. This will greatly facilitate the students'
learning experience and stimulate their problem solving
ability. In this course I will make efforts to emphasize reasoning and
mathematical discovery as opposed to rote memorization; to look at
material you may have learned before from a different
angle; to discover and prevent common mistakes that you and/or your
students might make; and to use examples from daily life in order
to make the mathematics more meaningful and enjoyable.
B. Homework. Homework will be assigned on a daily basis and collected once a week. Homework should be turned in to the labelled homework box.
C. Online Quizzes. There will be seven online quizzes worth 10 points each. You may repeat these as often as you like.
D. Exams.
There will be three 50 minute exams and a final exam. Exam
dates are Feb. 27, April 2 and April 30. The final
exam is May 16, 11:50-1:40 p.m..
E.
Grading. Attendance
(6%), Online Quizzes (10%), Written Homework (20%), Tests 1-3 (39%),
Final Exam (25%)
* * I f you have any condition, such as a physical or learning
disability, which
will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined
it
or which will require academic accommodations, please notify me in the
first
two weeks of classes. You may also wish to contact the Academic Assistance Center,
in 101
Holton Hall.
Course Outline:
| Chapter | Topics |
| Ch. 1: Introduction to
Problem Solving: strategy and approach -----3 classes |
(1) Inductive and
deductive reasoning. (2) Pattern recognition. (3) Giving clear explanations. (4) Problem solving strategies. |
| Ch. 2: Sets, Whole
Numbers, and Numeration ----3 classes |
(1) Hindu-Arabic
number system. (2) Set operations, Venn diagrams and their applications. (3) Number systems in other cultures. (4) Binary number systems and number systems in other bases. (5) Relations and functions in daily life. |
| Ch. 3: Whole Numbers:
Operations and Properties ----3 classes |
(1) Closure,
Commutative, Associative, Distributive and Identity properties. (2) Division Algorithm. (3) Laws of Exponents. |
| Ch. 4: Whole Number
Computation: Mental, Electronic and
Written -----3 classes |
(
1) Review briefly the standard algorithms for addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division. (2) Explore other algorithms and understand why they work. (3) Arithmetic in other bases. (4) Estimation and approximation. |
| Ch. 5: Number Theory
---4 classes |
(1) Factors and
multiples, divisibility, primes (2) Primality testing. (3) Factor trees and prime factorizations. (4) Counting factors, GCDs and LCMs. |
| Ch. 6: Fractions ---4 classes |
(1) Develop models
for fractions and their arithmetic. (2) Drill on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions. |
| Ch. 7: Decimals,
Ratio and Proportion, and Percent --- 4 classes |
(1) Representing
numbers as decimals. (2) Converting decimals to fractions and vice versa. (3) Ordering decimals and fractions. (4) Decimal arithmetic. (5) Ratio and proportion. (6) Percentage and interest rates. |
| Ch 12: Geometric Shapes ---3 classes |
(1)
Vocabulary: square, rectangle, rhombus, kite, trapezoid, congruent,
isosceles, etc. (2) Paper folding. (3) Symmetry (4) Angle measurement. (5) 3-dim shapes |
| Ch
13: Measurements ---3 classes |
(1)
Metric system and English system. (2) Converting between different units. (3) Areas, Volumes and Perimeters. (4) The meaning of pi. |
| Ch. 8: Integers
---2 classes |
(1) Models for negative numbers. (2) Review properties of integers and operations on integers. (3) Negative exponents. |
| Ch. 9:
Rational Numbers and Real Numbers, with introduction to algebra
-- 3 classes |
(1) Summarize number systems and basic properties (2) Roots and and irrational numbers. (3) Understand infinite decimals |