real world math

Copyright © 2009, Facing the Future

Real World Math: Engaging Students through

Global Issues

Dave Wilton

Assistant Outreach Director

www.facingthefuture.org

Critical Thinking. Global Perspective. Informed Action.

http://www.facingthefuture.org/

Agenda

Your Visions

Who is Facing the Future?

Why Real World Math?

From the Teacher Perspective

From the Student Perspective

Give and Take

Reward for Your Patience


About Facing the Future

Seattle-based nonprofit founded in 1995

Interdisciplinary global issues and sustainability curriculum for K-12

Over 1.5 million students reached annually

All 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries

Professional development and consulting




I’m Curious

I Have an Opinion

I Want to Share It

I Want to Be Involved

I Want Bring My Talents

to Bear

Using Math & Real World Data

to Develop Global Competence

Globally competent students must have the

knowledge and skills to:


~ Anthony Jackson,

Asia Society VP of Education

Investigate the World

Weigh Perspectives

Communicate Ideas

Take Action

Apply Interdisciplinary

& Disciplinary Expertise

Defining Sustainability

“Meeting our own needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs”

World Commission on Environment & Development, 1987

Flourishing

Environment

Strong

Economy

Social

Well-being

Sustainable

Communities


Think, Pair, Share

What is one thing you are

currently doing to engage

students with mathematics

in the world?

(If you momentarily can‟t think of

anything, what is something you

would like to do?)



“When Will I Ever Use This?”

Teachers requested:

Engaging „hook‟ activities

Un-manipulated, real world data

Purposeful mathematics skill

development

Content knowledge acquisition

using meaningful issues


Global Issues (Algebra + Geometry)

= Real World Math

Teacher‟s Guide & Student Workbook

15 NCTM aligned lessons

State alignments by September 2010

Aligned with popular U.S. math texts

Students use 21st-century skillsCritical thinking

Collaboration

Global perspective

Multiple points of implementation:Hook activities at start of a unit

Reinforcement of learned concepts

Assessment of learning

Individual, small group, whole class


15 Engaging Lessons

1. Number Patterns: Waste & Recycling

2. Introduction to Algebra: Poverty & Microcredit

3. Modeling Integers: Population Growth

4. Solving Algebraic Equations: Food Choices

5. Data & Graphs: Youth Conflict

6. Number Theory: Consumption Choices

7. Rational Numbers: Financial Decisions

8. Proportion, Percent, & Probability: Global Health

9. Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions

10.Spatial Thinking: Solar Power

11.Area & Transformations: Wildlife Habitats

12.Surface Area & Volume: Sustainable Design

13.Linear Functions: Systems & Global Education

14.Midpoint & Distance Formulas: Resource Distribution

15.Data Analysis: Quality of Life


Critical Thinking Questions:

What are historic and current recycling trends in the US?

What are the impacts of waste disposal?

What are ways to reduce impacts of US produced waste?

Lesson 1 Number Patterns: Waste & Recycling



Objectives:

Create expressions containing variables that represent

real world patterns

Explore patterns of US disposal and recycling

Use tables and graphs to organize data

Identify number patterns

Iceberg Modelfor understanding root causes and

leverage points of global issues




Introductory Activity:

In small groups, answer these

questions about the items on

the next slide:

Where does it go after it’s used?

Can it be reused? If so, how?




In small groups, answer these

questions about the items on

the next slide:

Where does it go after it’s used?

Can it be reused? If so, how?

Questions for the whole group:

Is it OK for all these to be landfilled?

How many plastic bottles do you use in a day?

How many are used in the U.S. in 5 minutes?

2 million


Waste Not, Want Not

2. How many plastic bottles are used in 1 day24 mil. bottles per hour x 24 hours = 576 mil. bottles

3. If 1/3 are recycled daily, how many are not?2/3 x 576 = 384 mil. bottles OR 576 – (1/3 x 576)= 384 mil. bottles

4. 2 consequences of NOT recycling plastic bottles?

5. Create an equation to solve for number of bottles recycled for any number of hours where B=Bottles & H=Hours

B = H x 24 mil. bottles


Waste Not, Want Not

6. Organize this data

into a line graph

7. Predict the number

of pounds per day

the average person

will discard in 2020

approx. 4.6 to 5.5 lbs

4.6

5.5


Waste Not, Want Not

8. All materials except plastics and

food scraps make up 76% of

our waste stream.

The % of plastics is the same

as the % of food scraps.

What % of our waste stream is

plastics?

(100% - 76%) / 2 = 12%

9. Recycling 4,050 20 oz. bottles

saves 1 cubic yard of landfill

space.

How many bottles need to be

recycled to save 50 cubic yards

of landfill space?

4,050 x 50 = 202,500


Waste Not, Want Not

Discussion Questions

Is it important to recycle as much as we can?

What are other ways to reduce the amount of waste we

produce?

Where is the closest landfill to your house? What factors

influence their location? Would you want one near you?

Will the amount of waste generated per person in the U.S.

continue to increase?

What kinds of materials are recyclable in your community?

What are barriers to recycling and ways to overcome them?


Additional Resources

Images retrieved from www.chrisjordan.com

Partial Zoom



Trash Track: Partnership between the

Seattle Public Library and MIT

Tagging everyday itemswith GPS locators tofollow them through the“removal chain”

http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack

http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack


Action Project

Find alternatives for

items currently being

thrown in landfills.

Organize a campaign

to support reuse of at

least one of the items

from the lesson

introduction.


Ecological Footprint:

Watch Where You Step


The area of the Earth‟s productive surface

(land and sea) that it takes

to produce the goods and

services necessary to

support a given human

lifestyle.




Choose a:

Favorite Meal

Favorite Object

Item of Clothing

Mode of

Transportation

Diagram:

Resources

Processes

Impacts

Photos courtesy of Ben Wheeler


Ecological Footprint Calculators

www.footprintnetwork.org

www.myfootprint.org

www.zerofootprintkids.com

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/

http://www.myfootprint.org/

http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/




www.storyofstuff.com“A 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

www.sightline.org“Follows a day in the life of a fictional, typical middle-class resident of Seattle. Tracing back the layers of distribution, commerce, and production involved in everyday consumer goods Stuff is an engaging and fact-packed look at the people and places that are affected every time you sip your coffee, tie your shoes, click your mouse, step on the gas, or read a book.”

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

http://www.sightline.org/


Facing the Future Resources

Student textbooks

Preview chapters available

online

Teacher Lesson Plan Books

Over 25 lessons available for free at


1-2 week curriculum units

All available online to WA teachers for free



Staying Connected

Visit www.facingthefuture.org

Sign up for FTF e-newsletter

Be a Peer Educator

Provide feedback via survey

Contact FTF:

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

“We must teach our students that

they can be architects of the future,

rather than its victims.”

~ Buckminster Fuller, Architect and Philosopher


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 2Introduction to Algebra: Poverty & Microcredit


What are some solutions to ending extreme poverty?

What is microcredit and how can it help alleviate poverty?



Objectives:

Investigate microcredit as a solution to extreme poverty

Consider what it means to live in extreme poverty

Brainstorm solutions to extreme poverty

Evaluate formulas for different values

Solve multi-step equations




How much would you pay for the following items?

Movie ticket

Bus fare

Cup of coffee

3-course dinner

Could you buy any

for under $2

Let’s Go Shopping

Where can you buy eachitem for the lowest price?

Which city is mostexpensive?

Think, Pair, Share

Is it feasible to live on $2a day?

What % of world‟s peoplelive on $2 a day or less?

What would life be like?

Where would you liveand work?

What would you eat?

How could the number ofpeople living in extremepoverty be reduced?


Microcredit Business Plan

1. Calculate your total

operational costs (TOC)

TOC = Sc + (n x Mc)


Microcredit Business Plan

2. Calculate your profit

P = n (S – Mc)


Action Project

Organize a “Penny Challenge” to support a

microcredit organization

Each penny = 1 point

All other money is negative points (can be put in

competitor‟s container to decrease points but

increase total money raised).

Trickle Up www.trickleup.org

Grameen Bank www.grameen-info.org

Kiva www.kiva.org

http://www.trickleup.org/

http://www.grameen-info.org/



http://www.kiva.org/

www.globalrichlist.com

http://www.globalrichlist.com/


Microcredit for Sustainable DevelopmentCurriculum Extension Using

Engaging Students Through Global Issues

40 activity-based lessons

Subject areas and key concepts

National standards alignment

Timing and step-by-step instructions

Materials needed and handouts

Assessment questions

Extension activities

Connections to technology, literacy, math, art

Action project ideas

Recommended resources such as: films, books, websites


FTF Activity-Based Lesson:“Microcredit for Sustainable Development”

Research a developing country

Apply for a $100 microcredit

grant to start a business

Create a poster and

presentation of your plan

and have plan approved

by a panel of “experts”


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 3 Modeling Integers: Population Growth


What factors drive population growth?

What are impacts of population growth and loss?

How is population connected to other global issues?

Objectives:

Consider consequences of positive and negative population growth

Define population growth rate

Examine population trends

Recognize and identify integers

Add integers with same and different signs

Solve equations with integers

Plot integers on a coordinate plane



What is a real life example of:

A positive integer?

A negative integer

Can you have a negative number of people?

As a group, line up from largest to smallest number

of children born per 100 women

What if all countries had the same birthrate as Mali (734

per 100)? What about Singapore (108 per 100)?

Why might some countries have higher rates than others?

Lesson 3 Modeling Integers: Population Growth


The Ups & Downs of Population

1. What do you already know about population growth:

a. Do most countries have declining or growing populations?

b. Name 1 thing that might lead to increase

c. Name 1 thing that might lead to decline

2. Look at the age-gender structure of Japan in 2000:

a. In 2000, were most people in Japan old, young, or somewhere in between?

b. How will the age structure be different in 50 years?



3. Calculate the number of people

in each age group using the

following equation:

P2050 = P2000 + C

4. How will the number of people

older than 50 change from 2000

to 2050?

5. Which 10-year age group will

lose the greatest number?

6. What is 1 way the predicted

population for 2050 might affect

Japan?

6,627,109

7,412,041

7,938,791

8,605,113

10,664,338

11,665,199

12,738,388

14,578,186

13,444,661



7. How will India‟s population differ

from Japan‟s in 2050?

8. What is 1 way the predicted

population for 2050 might affect

India?

9. Japan‟s growth rate is -0.139%,

what integer is closest to this

numeric value?



10. Plot the coordinate pairs in the table on the a

coordinate plane to show how Japan‟s

population is changing

11. What is the trend of the graph?




What are some negative consequences of a declining population? Positive consequences?

What are some negative consequences of a growing population? Positive consequences?

Will India‟s and Japan‟s future populations match those shown on the populations pyramids?

What are some humane ways to slow population growth?


Lesson 4 Algebraic Equations: Food Choices


What choices can people make to ensure a healthy lifestyle?

How are eating habits related to future well-being?

How are individual and community well-being interconnected?

Objectives:

Write and solve multi-step equations

Use tables to solve real-life problems

Recognize the connection between health,

nutrition, exercise

Understand that daily choices can affect

an individual‟s well-being



Jumping jacks for 10 seconds

How many calories burned?

How would you define “health”?

A state of complete mental, physical,

and social well-being and not merely

the absence of disease or infirmity.

(WHO)

Lesson 4 Algebraic Equations: Food Choices

What actions and choices make a person healthy?

Create list of common breakfast items.

Which items do you consider healthy?

You Are What You Eat

Compare 2 students‟ lunches

Calculate missing calories and

calcium for Staci

Discuss choices Estelle could make




Discussion QuestionsWhat are some of the choices that Estelle needs to make

in order to have a healthier lifestyle? Could any of these choices apply to you?

Is everyone capable of making those choices? Why or why not?

How could schools help support healthier nutrition and exercise habits of students?

What are some ways to reduce childhood obesity?

How is your personal health and well-being connected to the well-being of your community?

How is the overall health of our country‟s people connected to the well being of our nation?



Action Project Create a list of 10 foods that are part of a healthy diet

Are these foods available at local food outlets? Why or why not?



15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 5 Data & Graphs: Youth Conflict


How do actual youth violence trends compare to public

perception?

What factors correlate with reductions in violence

What can people do to increase the peace?

Objectives:

Use double bar graphs to represent data

Use line graphs to evaluate changes over time

Create a scatterplot and line of best fit

Examine trends in violent crimes among youth

Explore root causes of youth violence


Lesson 5 Data & Graphs: Youth Conflict


Sides Debate Question: Youth violence is a

major problem in our society.

Agree? or Disagree?

Think, Pair, Share:

Has the rate of violent crimes in US schools

increased or decreased in the past 15 years?

Support your position


Increasing the Peace

1. Create a double bar graph using the information in

the following table.

2. Explain the trends observed in the graph



1. Use the data to create a line graph, showing the trend in the number of violent crimes per 1000 students ages 12-18 in U.S. schools.

2. What trend is emerging over time?

3. What are possible causes for the trends observed?

* Data unavailable for 2002 & 2004



1. Use the following data to create a scatterplot.

2. Draw a line of best fit.

3. What pattern does the line of best fit reveal?



Discussion QuestionsBased upon the 3 graphs, what observations can you

make about youth conflict?

Does the media‟s portrayal of youth violence represent the same trends as on the graphs?

MS principals cite racial tension and student bullying as the most common problems. HS principals cite gang and extremist activities as the most common problems. What might be reasons for the differences?

In HS, approximately twice as many males report carrying a weapon to school than females report. What might be reasons for this difference?

What measures do you think would decrease rates of youth conflict even further?


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 13 Linear Functions: Systems & Global Education


How can understanding systems help us find solutions to

large and complex problems?

How can we redesign a system to achieve a desired

outcome?

What part does education play in creating a stable future?

Objectives:

Graph linear functions

Calculate slope

Use systems thinking to look at problems

Discover worldwide trends in primary school completion




“Bears In The Air” – Only 2 Rules:1. Everyone must touch the bear

2. Must touch it in the same order each time

Stand in a circle, practice for one round

Time 2 rounds, trying to get faster each round, plot on coordinate plane

Plot slope using first 2 rounds

Use y = mx + b to estimate 8th round

Exploring limits to success



Bears In The Air

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Trial Number

Tim

e i

n S

ec

on

ds

Time

Limits to Success


Making the Grade


Making the Grade


How would life be different for you if you were not able to attend school?

What role does education play in shaping the future?

What might be some

consequences of not encouraging

worldwide education?

Why are the goals for the 4

regions different from the actual

numbers of students completing

primary school?


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 15

Data Analysis: Quality of Life


How does the concept of what is necessary for a high

quality of life change over the course of our lives?

What determines quality of life and happiness?

How is quality of life measured?

Objectives:

Develop quality of life indicators

Administer a quality of life survey

Organize data using a box and whisker plot

Compare student and adult survey responses

Analyze data by calculating measures of central tendency


Lesson 15

Data Analysis: Quality of Life


If you agree with the following statements, please stand up:People who have many friends have a good life.

People who make more than enough money to pay their monthly bills have a good life.

People who graduate from college have a good life.

If everyone in the world was “living the good life,” what would we have in common? (Think about QOL as a positive concept, not just a lack of what is negative. The WHO, defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmary.”)


Livin‟ the Good Life

Quality of Life Survey

Develop questions and survey students and adults to assess QOL based upon several category indicators

Must be measurable in units of time or quantities: Number of ____ per ____

Examples for category of Relaxation:Number of hours per week you do your favorite activity

Number of days per year you spend on vacation

Make sure indicators are designed such that a higher number represents an increase in QOL

Example of worksheet students can use to collect data

Copy compiled survey results into table below


Extensions & Action Projects

Investigate traditional and alternative

indicators commonly used for QOL:

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Genuine Progress Index (GPI)

U.N. Human Development Index

Publish a QOL Report


Problems as Opportunities

Sharing Positive Stories

Activity-based Lessons

Action Projects

Personal and structural solutions

Service Learning

Fast Facts, Quick Actions

Service Learning Project Database

Service Learning Framework


Facing the Future Professional Development Workshops

Bridging the Achievement Gap

Climate Change

Service Learning

Systems Thinking

Media Literacy

Global Health Connections

Equity and Quality of Life

Sustainable Development




School & District-wide

Transformation for EfS

Consulting ServicesCurriculum Mapping

Gap/Strength Assessment & Analysis

Organizational Change

Curriculum Design Studio in a BoxTools to design your own sustainability lessons

Education for Sustainability Workshops

www.cloudinstitute.org

THE CLOUD INSTITUTE FOR

SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION

School & District-wide

Transformation for EfS

http://www.cloudinstitute.org/

http://www.cloudinstitute.org/


K-12 and Teacher Education Resources

National Standards

Listserv

Webinar: November 2009

White Paper on EfS

Curricula, PD, Stories, etc.

http://www.uspartnership.org/

http://www.uspartnership.org/


Staying Connected

Visit www.facingthefuture.org

Sign up for FTF e-newsletter

Be a Peer Educator

Provide feedback via survey

Contact FTF:

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]


Facing the Future Resources

Student textbooks

Preview chapters available

online

Teacher Lesson Plan Books

Over 25 lessons available for free at


1-2 week curriculum units

All available online to WA teachers for free


real world math

Documents

number of bottles

abilityof future generations

real world patterns

patience copyright

lbs copyright

math real world data

future seattlebased

number of hours