Math 197:01 Topics in Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, Geometry 2009 (Woodward)

Basic Course Information

This is a mathematics content course. The goal is to have students acquire a deep understanding of the material -- the kind of understanding that leads to fluency in explaining the material effectively from a number of points of view. It is designed to be particularly useful to students interested in preparing to teach in grades K-8. It is also designed to meet certain general education and distribution requirements. (There are two math courses in the Fall 2009 semester that are of interest to students preparing to become K-8 teachers, Math 107 and Math 197.)

The class may see some examples of actual elementary school student work in order to analyze misconceptions and to develop corrective explanations. The class may also work with technology to explore concepts and conjectures.

Admission to the course is by special permission number, which is issued by Maureen Clausen in the undergrad office. Her e-mail is mclausen@math.rutgers.edu. When you write to her to request a special permission number, please include your status with regard to the 5-year education program: are you already admitted? planning to apply? considering eventually applying? Also indicate whether you are looking for certification with a specialization in math? If not, in what? And at what grade levels do you plan to teach? Also indicate what other math courses you have already taken.

Syllabus

The class may see some examples of actual elementary school student work in order to analyze misconceptions and to develop corrective explanations. The class may also work with technology to explore concepts and conjectures.

Lecturer: Chris Woodward
Contact Information:
- office: Hill 336 on Busch Campus
- phone: 732-445-2390 EXT 2466
- e-mail: ctw@math.rutgers.edu
- web-page: math.rutgers.edu/~ctw
Course Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:15P-3:35 Waller 210 on Douglass
Office Hours: Tentatively Tuesdays 1-2pm in Hill 336 or by appointment. Please send me an e-mail if you will be coming, to check that I am not at a conference etc.

Textbook: Mathematics for Elementary Teachers (2nd Edn.) by S. Beckman. You will need to bring to class each day (a) the activities manual, (b) a ruler, (c) compass, (d) scissors, and (e) a protractor, but not the actual textbook.

Usual Format: lectures, group work in class, presentations of homework and group work.

Homework will be assigned once a week and collected the week after it is assigned. Assignments will appear also at the end of this website.

Read the assigned sections once before each lecture.

Attendance is required. I will accept late homework only in special cases and only if I have not yet returned the graded set.

Make-up exams will be offered only for medical emergencies, and if you let me know at the originally scheduled time of exam. EXAMS: There will be two midterm exams, and a final exam.

HOMEWORK: There will be regular homework assignments from the textbook. These assignments will be made in class. Homework scores will be rescaled to contribute toward the term grade.

One goal of the course is to develop understanding of the material. Another goal is to develop clear expository technique. Do not turn in first efforts or rough drafts, but rather edit and turn in a final draft.

More detailed instructions appear just before the table below showing homework assignments.

TERM GRADES: The term grade will be based on a 550 point scale.

Each midterm exam is worth 100 points;
The final exam is worth 200 points;
The homework will be rescaled to be worth 150 points.

Class meeting	Date	Sections from Text	topics
Class 1	Sept 2	8.1-8.3	Introduction to Geometric Ideas
Class 2	Sept 8	8.1-8.3	Angles, circles, spheres
Class 3	Sept 9	8.3-4	Triangles
Class 4	Sept 14	8.4	Triangles, Polygons
Class 5	Sept 16	8.5	Straightedge and compass
Class 6	Sept 21	9.1	Rigid Motions
Class 7	Sept 23	9.1 and 9.2	Rigid Motions, Symmetry
Class 8	Sept 28	9.3	Congruent Triangles
Class 9	Sept 30	handout	Coordinate Systems on lines and planes
Class 10	Oct 5	9.4	Similarity
Class 11	Oct 7	9.1-9.4	Review
Class 12	Oct 12	Ch 8 and 9	Ch. 8 and part of Ch.9	EXAM 1
Class 13	Oct 14	Congruence vs. Similarity
Class 14	Oct 19	10.1-10.2	Area
Class 15	Oct 21	10.3	Volume of boxes
Class 16	Oct 26	10.4	Measurement
Class 17	Oct 28	10.5	Units, changing units
Class 18	Nov 2	10.1-10.5	More Measurement
Class 19	Nov 4	11.1-11.2	Pythagorean Theorem
Class 20	Nov 9	11.3, 11.4	Areas of Triangles and Polygons
Class 21	Nov 11	11.5	Shears
Class 22	Nov 16		Ch 9(similarity), Ch 10, Ch 11 sections 1-5	Exam 2
Class 23	Nov 18	11.6	Areas of Circles, Areas of curvilinear figures
Class 24	Nov 23	11.10	Volumes of cylinders and pyramids
	Nov 25	Thanksgiving Holiday
Class 25	Nov 30	11.11	Areas and Volumes under Scaling
Class 26	Dec 2	More on the Pythagorean theorem	from "Math for Middle School Teachers" (Handout)
Class 27	Dec 7	Isometries in Space	from "Math for Middle School Teachers" (Handout)
Class 28	Dec 9	Review
Final Exam	Dec 18, 12pm-3pm	Cumulative	place tba

Textbook Homework Problems

Try to do all problems from sections we are discussing.

I will assign homework in class once a week to be turned in a week later.

This assignment will also be posted on this website.

I will sometimes assign group a problem to prepare and present in class.

I will help with the preparation if requested.

We will also discuss other textbook problems in class.

Directions for writing up homework:

Write on 8.5-by-11 paper.
Put your name on each sheet.
Staple homework together, being sure that you include all your work in the proper order.
Write neatly.
Give reasons for your steps.
Maintain margins on all four sides of your work.
For each problem or substantial part of a problem:
- (1) Start with the caption "Problem" followed by a self-contained statement of the problem.
- (2) Next show your mathematical work together with explanation aimed at K-8 students. Illustrate your reasoning with diagrams, definitions, special cases, and computations. Your reasoning must be presented in complete grammatical sentences.

Remember you will be graded on clarity of mathematical communication as well as on "mathematical content".

If I cannot understand your content, I cannot give credit for it.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS by date due.

These will be entered as the assignments are made.

Due Date Section Problems to do Problems to turn in

Sept 9 8.1
8.2
8.3
#1, 5
#1, 2, 3, 4
#1, 3
all

Sept 16 8.4
8.5
#3a, 4, 9, 10, 11
#1, 2, 6, 7
#3a, 9, 11
#2, 6

Sept 23 8.6
9.1
#5,7,10
#2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9
#3, 7, 9

Sep 30 9.2
9.3
#3, 7, 9, 15
#1, 3, 4
#3, 7, 15
#1, 4

Oct 7 9.4 #1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19 #1, 7, 13, 19

Oct 14 EXAM #1 No homework due

Oct 21 10.1
10.2
#1, 2, 3, 6
#1, 2
#1, 2, 3
none

Oct 28 10.3
10.5
#3, 4, 5, 7
#1-10
#4, 5, 7
#2, 5, 7, 10

Nov 4 11.1
11.2
#3, 5, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17
#1, 3, 6
#3, 11, 15, 17
#1, 6

Nov 11 11.3
11.4
11.5
#1, 3, 7, 8, 12, 14
#1, 2, 3, 4
# 2,5,6,8
#3, 7, 12
#2, 4
2,5,8

Dec 2 11.6
11.10
11.11
#2, 4, 10, 15, 16 a
# 1,2, 6
#1,5,6
#4, 10, 16a
#1,2,6
#1,5

Dec 9 3.3 (MFMST)
4.4 (MFMST)
#4,5,6,7
#1,2,4,5
#4,6,7
#1,4,5

Due Date	Section	Problems to do	Problems to turn in
Sept 9	8.1 8.2 8.3	#1, 5 #1, 2, 3, 4 #1, 3	all
Sept 16	8.4 8.5	#3a, 4, 9, 10, 11 #1, 2, 6, 7	#3a, 9, 11 #2, 6
Sept 23	8.6 9.1	#5,7,10 #2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9	#3, 7, 9
Sep 30	9.2 9.3	#3, 7, 9, 15 #1, 3, 4	#3, 7, 15 #1, 4
Oct 7	9.4	#1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19	#1, 7, 13, 19
Oct 14	EXAM #1	No homework due
Oct 21	10.1 10.2	#1, 2, 3, 6 #1, 2	#1, 2, 3 none
Oct 28	10.3 10.5	#3, 4, 5, 7 #1-10	#4, 5, 7 #2, 5, 7, 10
Nov 4	11.1 11.2	#3, 5, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 #1, 3, 6	#3, 11, 15, 17 #1, 6
Nov 11	11.3 11.4 11.5	#1, 3, 7, 8, 12, 14 #1, 2, 3, 4 # 2,5,6,8	#3, 7, 12 #2, 4 2,5,8
Dec 2	11.6 11.10 11.11	#2, 4, 10, 15, 16 a # 1,2, 6 #1,5,6	#4, 10, 16a #1,2,6 #1,5
Dec 9	3.3 (MFMST) 4.4 (MFMST)	#4,5,6,7 #1,2,4,5	#4,6,7 #1,4,5

Math 197:01 Topics in Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, Geometry 2009 (Woodward)

Basic Course Information

Syllabus

Textbook Homework Problems

Maintained by ctw@math.rutgers.edu >