Real World Mathutah.agclassroom.org

“Students’ abilities to use mathematical expressions to model real-world situations will be central to their progress in mathematics and science.” -Suzanne H. ChapinReal world problems evolve into questions, which develop the equations that lead to calculations and possible solutions.Questioning provides the motivation for learning facts that will help solve real world problems.

Math in the “Real World”

Use the familiar things we use everyday to begin the inquiry that leads to problem solving and math skill practice.

One of the goals of the common core standards is to “help solidify students’ progression to higher-level math, through real-world applications and conceptual understanding, not just procedural knowledge. It’s through concepts that students will be able to go beyond passing the weekly math test and build to a sophisticated understanding of the language of math.”

Understanding math concepts is essential to students being able to answer scientific questions.Numbers are the language of science.

Math / Science Integration

“Research indicates that an integrated approach to learning aligns with the way the brain naturally processes and internalizes new information. Since mathematics and science are integrated in the world outside the classroom, and technology has become a natural extension of this integration, it seems only logical that these areas are studied together inside the classroom.” -Diane Ronis

Problem SolvingStory ProblemsPrediction & EstimationMeasurements (English/Metrics)

WeightLengthDiameterVolumeTemperature

TimeMoney & DecimalsFractions & PercentagesGraphing

Real World Examples from Agriculture

Bees - measurement

Wheat - estimation, statistics

Pumpkins - prediction

Grocery Ads - money, decimals

Popcorn - measurement

Food Packaging - measurement, percentages

Rice - exponents

Sunflower Seeds - fractions

Pizza - time

Barns & Maps - measurement