2
Play and Learn Numbers Review by: Paz I. Bartolome The Arithmetic Teacher, Vol. 36, No. 2 (October 1988), p. 56 Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41193473 . Accessed: 16/06/2014 20:05 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Arithmetic Teacher. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.28 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:05:48 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Play and Learn Numbers

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Play and Learn Numbers

Play and Learn NumbersReview by: Paz I. BartolomeThe Arithmetic Teacher, Vol. 36, No. 2 (October 1988), p. 56Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41193473 .

Accessed: 16/06/2014 20:05

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extendaccess to The Arithmetic Teacher.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.28 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:05:48 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Play and Learn Numbers

Ravlaœing and Warning • New Books

For Pupils For Teachers

• Etcetera

New Books For Pupils Play and Learn Numbers. 1987, ¡o pages, $39.95 cloth. Fille, 421 S. O g den Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Play and Learn Numbers is made of heavy flannel sewn together like a book. The numbers 1-10, made of similar materials of contrasting blue, are sewn on each page. Each number is represented by colorful cutouts of familiar ani- mals, insects, and objects, such as turtles, butterflies, kites, and apples, which are attrac- tively embroidered and reinforced around the edges. Pieces of velcro are used to make the objects stick to the numbers being represented. A pocket is sewn at the back of the book for storing the cutouts if desired. The material is a very colorful and versatile tool for teaching counting, adding, and subtracting. The children enjoy manipulating and grouping the objects. Since the objects are not permanently attached to the page, perhaps Play and Learn Numbers is better classified as a manipulative material rather than a book. According to the publisher, it is washable and safe. However, the light yellow color may be soiled very easily, partic- ularly if it is used by a large group of children.

Play and Learn Numbers is an excellent manipulative material for an individual child in a family. It would make a nice birthday gift. The parents of several nursery school children who have seen it during a trial period have asked for information on ordering it. - Paz /. Bartolomé, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403.

For Teachers From NCTM

Problem-solving Techniques Help- ful in Mathematics and Science,

Edited by Grace M. Burton University of North Carolina at

Wilmington Wilmington, NC 28403

Charles A. Reeves. 1987, Hi + 35 pp., $4 paper. ISBN 0-87353-246-5. NCTM, 1906 Association Dr., Reston, VA 22091. In the introduction to this book Pol y a' s four- step approach to problem solving is cited as a general approach to problem solving. The sec- ond step, strategies or plans to solve problems common to both mathematics and science, is highlighted in this booklet. Although more than one plan or a combination of plans can be applied to a problem, the author recognizes that instruction and experience with explicit strate- gies is needed.

The strategies highlighted in this booklet are working backward; using a table, chart, or list as an organizer; drawing a diagram; searching for patterns; guessing-checking-re vising; and using visual discrimination. A brief overview is given of each of the strategies with regard to what the strategy is, how it is used, and its importance or application in science, mathe- matics, or our daily lives. A number of sample problems that could be solved by using this strategy and that are appropriate for elementary school children are included in each section.

Problems involving trends and patterns, com- binations, and logic are included in the chapter on using tables, charts, or lists to organize information. The chapter on working backward includes mazes, computational exercises, word problems, games and puzzles, and the tech- nique of reversing a process. Routine and nonroutine story problems and Venn diagrams are included in the chapter on drawing a dia- gram. The chapter on searching for patterns includes both number and visual patterns. The last chapter, on visual discrimination, includes relative size and shape, logical order, different views of a pictured object, and likenesses and differences.

The purpose of the booklet was to facilitate in-service training on problem solving for ele- mentary school teachers. It was recommended for use after initial experiences in problem solving. This handy resource is for teachers who would like to have problems classified by strategies when introducing their students to different problem-solving strategies. It is also a good collection of problem-solving situations that teachers and their students should enjoy exploring. - Diane Thiessen.

From Other Publishers

Capitalism & Arithmetic, The New Math of the 15th Century, Frank j. Swetz. 1987, xvii + 345 pp., $16.95. ISBN 0-8126-9014-1. Open Court Publishing Co., Box 599, Peru, IL 61354.

Suppose you lived in fifteenth century Italy and set about writing a text for young men who were attempting to master the arithmetic used in commercial trade at the time when the Hin- du-Arabic numerals were just coming into fash- ion. Would you focus on the traditional skills required by the currently popular abacus, or would you put greatest emphasis on the new technology of the computational algorithms? This question was faced by the anonymous author of the Treviso Arithmetic, the earliest known dated, printed arithmetic book.

The meat of Capitalism and Arithmetic is David Eugene Smith's translation of the Treviso Arithmetic of 1478. As bread to this tasty sand- wich, Swetz has provided a chapter on the educational and cultural climate of fifteenth century Europe and a section on the trade and industry of the time. Addenda include a bio- graphical sketch of David Eugene Smith, two helpful bibliographies, and extensive chapter notes.

The Treviso Arithmetic, named for a city about twenty-six kilometers north of Venice, was printed in 1478, shortly after the Turks captured Constantinople. At the time of its print- ing da Vinci was twenty-six and Machiavelli was only nine. In fourteen years Columbus would set off in search of spices, and in thirty years, Henry VIIFs reign would begin. Designed for self-study by middle-class boys twelve to six- teen years of age who journeyed from all over Europe to study with the reckoning masters in and near Venice, this "practica" contained 123 pages of text with thirty-two lines per page and measured about 14.5 cm by 20.6 cm. It is meticulously presented, complete with errors; Smith's corrections are given in brackets. At the time of its printing, the addition and sub- traction algorithms had been fairly well estab- lished but still no consensus was reached as to which multiplication and division algorithms were most efficient, so a wide variety of these are shown. The many word problems included as motivational material for the algorithms make very interesting reading.

The only fault I find with this book is its title, which fails to delineate the major thrust of the work. Those looking for a definitive discussion of capitalism in the fifteenth century will be disappointed by the book's contents; those who would enjoy a look at the Treviso Arithmetic might pass it by.

The volume will, of course, be of particular interest to those teaching and learning the his- tory of mathematics. It will also interest those teaching and learning the whole-number algo- rithms, alcebraic word problems, or monetary systems. - Grace M. Burton.

Prices on software, books, and materials are subject to change. Consult the suppliers for the current prices.

56 Arithmetic Teacher

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.28 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:05:48 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions