SMTE 3352: Fundamentals of Mathematics III

Elementary education majors have an amazing sense of creativity and interest in interdisciplinary ways of teaching mathematics. The pictures below show some of my Fall 2012 Fundamentals of Math III (geometry and measurement) students' work on an Art Project. The project asked students to choose an artistic movement, create an original piece of artwork in…

The goal of this online activity is to expose future teachers in SMTE 3352 (Geometry and Measurement for Elementary Teachers) to some potentially effective strategies for learning geometry online. Discovery Complete Levels 1 (8 pieces) and 2 (10 pieces) of the Airlines Builder game  at PBSKids.org. Be prepared to talk in class about how perimeter…

This is a three-part activity to be completed by a group of elementary education majors without access to the internet or textbooks. Definitions Consider the following list of minimal definitions. Polygon – the interior of a closed curve formed by planar line segments. Quadrilateral — a four-sided polygon Kite — a quadrilateral with two distinct…

Instructions This exam counts for 20% of your grade in the class. The exam has 6 exercises for 100 points and must be completed during class on 9/26/12. To earn full credit on any problem, justify your solutions, make your reasoning clear, and indicate your methods. That is, USE WORDS. You may use a calculator…

This is an activity for groups of people to use a list of non-standard units of measure (e.g., "Mississippis") in order to calculate quantities on the campus of Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. It's fairly easy to modify the document to pose questions in other settings. Outdoor Activity on Non-Standard Measurement (Each question takes about…

We did an in-class activity on designing Olympic-style events for the classroom that help students learn the SI and Metric systems of measurement. A few related links: Prefixes in the SI and Metric System List of Physical Quantities in the SI system Mini-Metric Olympics Example photos from a  Metric Day More on the the Metric…

The slideshow below shows some student-created artwork in SMTE 3352 - Fall 2012. These are my personal images of the work and are shared with the world because I think the work is great and I think we can celebrate and disseminate our students' contributions without causing a big fuss. Sound Off What do you…

A  tiling of an object is a pattern of figures that covers an object with no overlaps and no gaps. The 8 semi-regular tilings of the plane make great examples. A tessellation is a type of tiling in which a single figure is used repeatedly. In school mathematics, tessellations usually refer to tilings of the plane, and usually by a single…

These are things you turn in to be graded. Unless otherwise noted, homework cannot be submitted after the respective hard deadline (midterm and final exam). Due 8/27: Define a word (see Curves and Lines). Due 8/31: Read Types of Symmetries in the Plane and turn in your solution to any 3 of the exercises. Due…

Many of these words have alternate meanings in contexts like algebra, but the following definitions are useful for getting a formal system of terms in basic geometry. Point – an undefined basic geometric object with location but no other characteristics. Line – an undefined basic geometric object containing points. In most geometries, lines are straight.…

The lesson on Lines and Curves focuses on vocabulary, including: an introduction to drawing and describing circles (GeoTools) a video on spirals terms for curves and figures in the plane Homework Look-up your "word" and turn in: definition (both formal & informal) example non-example diagram Be ready to choose an Artistic Movement on Monday Read the…

I'm posting the final exam for my section of SMTE 3352 at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi for 4 reasons: I'd like to help future elementary education students who are desperate for study materials in geometry I want more people to see the kinds of challenging math concepts in elementary education classes I'd like…

  Instructions The comprehensive Final Exam counts for 20% of the overall course grade. The exam includes content from the text, in-class activities, and handouts. To earn full credit on exam items, clearly explain your reasoning using full sentences, justify your solutions, and always indicate your methods. You may bring a reference sheet for the…

This is a three-part activity to be completed by a group of elementary education majors without access to the internet or textbooks. Definitions Consider the following list of minimal definitions. Polygon – the interior of a closed curve formed by planar line segments. Quadrilateral — a four-sided polygon Kite — a quadrilateral with two distinct…

Where? The activities will take place at London ISD on Tuesday, July 26 at 5:00-7:00 pm. For more details: Download the FMSN  Flyer Grading Guidelines The assignment accounts for 10% of the course grades, and there are several deadlines worth checking out in the: Read the FMSN Grading Guidelines Sign-Up To check out the activity options and…

The first quiz will be completed with your peers. You'll have 45 minutes to complete 10 problems, and you can use any notes or class materials, but not the internet. Here's what I'd suggest doing to study for Quiz 1. Read and understand the terms in section 11.1 of the textbook. Understand the terms associated…