The following are summaries and details for ten lesson activities that are suggested to be used during this unit. The summaries contain quotes that are recommended for the instructor to take time and reflect on before implementing the activity. The activities involve students working on their personal math narratives, guiding quotes, and a chapter from The Number Devil by Hans Enzensberger. Activities also include suggested songs to play while students write as well as a StoryCorps episode that aims to inspire students to tell their own stories. Each lesson begins with a low floor, high ceiling problem from the collection of images from Which One Doesn’t Belong (https://WODB.ca). These are helpful warm activities because there are several correct answers and students can engage with the material at whatever level they enter the lesson at.
Activity 1 Summary
In the first activity students will explore number lines and the bases used by different peoples throughout history as well as look at sets of numbers (the integers, the rational, etc.). Students will be introduced to the unit project in this lesson and will brainstorm changes to the rubric for the project. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quotes:
- “But as everyone began counting by using their ten fingers, most numbering systems that were invented used base 10. All the same, some groups chose base 12. The Mayans, Aztecs, Celts, and Basques, looked down at their feet and realized that their toes could be counted like fingers, so they chose base 20. The Sumerians and Babylonians, however, chose to count on base 60, for reasons that remain mysterious”29
- “The basic arithmetic operations of elementary school, multiplying and dividing, appear to have derived from extremely early economic needs. 2500BC clay tablet found near Baghdad which concerns the problem of sharing.”30
- “The peoples of West Africa and Middle America, as well as the Inuit and other Eskimo peoples of the far north, group by twenties. In some languages, such as Mende of Sierra Leone, the word for twenty means "a whole person"—all the fingers and toes.”31
- “Children can learn about numeration systems by examining the construction of larger numbers. In the Yoruba (Nigeria) language, for example, the name for forty-five means "take five and ten from three twenties," using the operations of multiplication and subtraction, rather than multiplication and addition, as in most European languages. Different solutions to the same problem, one just as good as the other.”32
Activity 1 Details
Essential question: Some say mathematics was invented and others say it was discovered, what are your thoughts?
Sound track for the day: “A change is gonna come” by Sam Cooke
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Personal Mathematics Narrative
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· Explanation of a personal Mathematics Narrative.
· Brainstorm topics to include
· Brainstorm types of presentations
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Classwork
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-Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/animation/schools-out/
-Poem/quote for the day: Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5kjfqbt-FA )
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the poem
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 1 of The Number Devil33
An introduction
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Discuss/Revise unit project rubric
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· Brainstorm revisions to the project rubric
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Activity 2 Summary
In the second activity students will read about Zero and how its addition to the number line resulted in the place value system and our Arabic numerals (which are from India!). Additionally, students will read and then reflect individually and in small groups on a comparison reading from two mathematical perspectives. One reading argues that the natural order of the world is straight while the other provides evidence that circles are the true nature of the universe. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quotes:
- “Al-Khowarizmi wrote several important books, like Al-jabr walmuqabala, a book of several equations. Al-jabr roughly translates to “completion” and+ gave us the term for Algebra. Algorithm is a corruption of the authors name as well.”34
- “A numeration system can be additive, like the Roman number system, or it can be positional, as is ours today. It can involve one or more bases and it may or may not use zero.”35
Activity 2 Details
Essential question: What is important in mathematics?
Sound track for the day: “Feelin Good” by Nina Simone
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Circle vs line readings (see below)
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· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
· Group reading & reflective writing in response to the Circle vs Line readings
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/animation/lessons-from-lourdes/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
“In the history of culture the discovery of zero will always stand out as one of the greatest single achievements of the human race.” -Charles Seife
· “So India, as a society that actively explored the void and the infinite, accepted zero” -Charles Seife
· “In the earliest age of the gods, existence was born from non-existence.” -The Rig Veda
· “It was in India and China that negative numbers first appeared. Brahmagupta, 7th century mathematician wrote: “Positive divided by positive, or negative divided by negative, is affirmative.” “positive divided by negative is negative. Negative divided by affirmative is negative.” -Charles Seife
· “Does Man forget that We created him out of the void?” -The Koran
· “Zero” comes from the Hindu word Sunrya meaning “empty”
· 1596 Descartes puts zero on the European number line
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
· These quotes are all centered on the idea of zero, which is also the focus of the Number Devil chapter for the day.
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 2 of The Number Devil36
Zero
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Babylonians base 6037
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· Comparison of our base 10 system to the base 60 system of the Babylonians.
· Identify where we see remnants of base 60 in our lives (degrees, time, calendar).
· What are the mathematical benefits of 60?
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Circle Vs Line Readings
Just before he died in the 1930s, Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux, spoke about his life and thoughts. His statement about the circle (below, right) is presented in contrast to a statement about the line (below, left) which appeared in a highly lauded work by two American professors of mathematics. While they differ on the geometric form, the writers share their degree of conviction in the rightness of their ideas and support their view with nature, God, achievement of goals, and proper human development. Black Elk and the Sioux, however, were forcibly made to realize that their view was not shared by other cultures.
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In every human culture that we will ever discover, it is important to go from one place to another, to fetch water or dig roots. Thus, human beings were forced to discover— not once, but over and over again, in each new human life— the concept of the straight line, the shortest path from here to there, the activity of going directly towards something. In raw nature, untouched by human activity, one sees straight lines in primitive form. The blades of grass or stalks of corn stand erect, the rock falls down straight, objects along a common line of sight are located rectilinearly. But nearly all the straight lines we see around us are human artifacts put there by human labor. The ceiling meets the wall in a straight line, the doors and windowpanes and tabletops are all bounded by straight lines. Out the window one sees rooftops whose gables and corners meet in straight lines, whose shingles are layered in rows and rows, all straight. The world, so it would seem has compelled us to create the straight line so as to optimize our activity, not only by the problem of getting from here to there as quickly and easily as possible but by other problems as well. For example, when one goes to build a house of adobe blocks, one finds quickly enough that if they are to fit together nicely, their sides must be straight. Thus, the idea of a straight line is intuitively rooted in the kinesthetic and the visual imaginations. We feel in our muscles what it is to go straight toward our goal, we can see with our eyes whether someone else is going straight. The interplay of these two sense intuitions gives the notion of straight line a solidity that enables us to handle it mentally as if it were a real physical object that we handle by hand. By the time a child has grown up to become a philosopher, the concept of a straight line has become so intrinsic and fundamental a part of his thinking that he may imagine it as an Eternal Form, part of the Heavenly Host of Ideals which he recalls from before birth. Or, if his name be not Plato but Aristotle, he imagines that the straight line is an aspect of Nature, an abstraction of a common quality he has observed in the world of physical objects.
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I am now between Wounded Knee Creek and Grass Creek. Others came too, and we made these little gray houses of logs that you see, and they are square. It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square. You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation, and so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. The flowering tree was the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance. This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our religion. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our tepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation's hoop, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children. But the Waischus (white-men) have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. When we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to mature. Well, it is as it is. We are prisoners of war while we are waiting here. But there is another world.38
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Activity 3 Summary
In the third activity students will create a sieve of Eratosthenes to examine the prime numbers under 100. Additionally, students will explore the world of mathematical play by engaging in the game of cycles, a variation of tic-tac-toe. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quote:
- “The Ahmes Papyrus (c. 1650 B.C.) and the Moscow Papyrus (c. 1850 B.C. ), while not deductively axiomatic, were and still are valid proofs. As Joseph (1987) notes: "Egyptian proofs are rigorous without being symbolic, so that typical values of a variable are used and generalizations to any other value are immediate."39
Activity 3 Details
Essential question: Prime numbers are often called “building blocks”, why is that? Sound track for the day: “Glory” by John Legend & Common Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers, small wipe off boards, dry erase markers, paper with 100 blank cells
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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The game of cycles from Frances Su (see below)
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· Explain the rules of the game and then play a few rounds as a group.
· Students then play 1-1 using wipe off boards and dry erase markers.
· Emphasize the importance of play in mathematics.
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/returning-home-three-oneida-children-find-a-final-resting-place/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
· “Like the crest of a peacock, like the gem on the head of a snake, so is mathematics at the head of all knowledge.” -Vedanga Jyotisa (c 500 bce)
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 3 of The Number Devil40
Primes
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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· Sieve of Eratosthenes
· Discuss how their writing is going. Has a growth mindset come into their writing/creating?
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· Students will use blank celled paper to create a Sieve of Eratosthenes
· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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The Game of Circles
“Draw this starting diagram (below) of dots and edges, which divides a triangular region into three smaller triangles, called cells. Players take turns, marking a single arrow along an edge of the diagram, obeying these rules: only one arrow may be placed on each edge, and no dot can be a sink or a source. Some edges may become unmarkable during the course of play. The object of the game is to produce a cycle cell—a cell bordered by arrows that cycle in one direction, clockwise or counterclockwise. The player who creates a cycle cell or makes the last possible move is the winner. After you play this game for a while, see if you can figure out whether the first or the second player has a winning strategy. Then explore the game of cycles using non-triangle game boards.
I just created this game, and at the time of writing I’m unaware of whether it has been invented or studied before. So there are lots of open questions, and I’m playfully exploring the game.”41
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Activity 4 Summary
In the fourth activity students will discuss the relationship between sides of a right triangle -usually called the Pythagorean theorem. Students will determine a more accurate name for this theorem as it was used in China and India over 1000 years before Pythagoras was born This class will also address the square root of 2 and how it presented a problem in the Vedas, which gave precise directions on how to construct a Hindu altar. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quote:
- “It is no surprise, then, that math explorers can be found in every society throughout history. This is most readily apparent in the games that people play, especially games of strategy, which generate interesting mathematical questions. Achi is a game played by the Ashanti people of Ghana in West Africa.”42
Activity 4 Details
Essential question: When you multiply a number by itself it is often called “squaring it”, why is that so?
Sound track for the day: “Lost ones” By Lauryn Hill
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers, Wipe off boards, dry erase markers
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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· Achi -game from Ghana (Ashanti people)
· Pythagorean theorem
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· Group demonstration of the rules of the Achi.
· Rather than pegs students will play with wipe off boards and dry erase markers
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loqW3cJG-P8
· Students explore the relationship between sides of a right triangle
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/from-the-school-bus-to-the-hospital-a-doctors-experiences-with-racism/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
· “There is always something new from Africa” -M Harris
· “Nothing is better known in arithmetic than the proposition by which any multiple of 9 consists of digits whose sum is itself a multiple of 9. -Blaise Pascal 1665
· “How could nature be governed by ratios and proportions when something as simple as a square can confound the language of ratios? -Charles Seife
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 4 of The Number Devil43
Infinitesimal vs Infinite
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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“During these sessions, I stress that the Egyptians created a tremendous civilization that lasted for thousands of years. I also stress that Egypt is in Africa and that the people who inhabit the land were and are Africans. I point out that Egyptian civilization produced complex technological innovations and forms of communication and engaged in an extensive interchange of goods and ideas with other people thousands of years before they helped bring forth Greek civilization. I note that at least half of the Greek language is African in origin and that the Greek cosmological and mythological constructs were founded upon Egyptian constructs, as was Greek shipbuilding, architecture, and mathematics. I explain that Euclid— the so-called "father" of plane geometry— spent twenty-one years studying and translating mathematical tracts in Egypt. Pythagoras also spent years studying philosophy and science in Egypt and possibly journeyed East to India and/or Persia where he "discovered" the so-called Pythagorean Theorem in the Indian Sulbasutras, a collection of mathematical documents (c. 800-500 B.C. ). As I ask my students, how could a theorem whose proof was recorded in Babylonian documents dating 1,000 years before he was born be attributed to Pythagoras?”44
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· Explanation of the work of S.E. Anderson, a college professor who begins each course with a two day lecture regarding the history of mathematics. This conclusion is an excerpt from her lecture.
· Students will read together and then write reflectively about the passage
· Time for sharing
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Activity 5 Summary
In the fifth activity students will explore square numbers and how they can relate to Pythagorean triples. Additionally, students will hear the story of the mathematician Ramanujan and his conflicts around the concept of proof while he studied at Oxford. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quotes:
- “I point out to my students that the Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians used different styles of mathematical generalizations in algebraic problem solving.”45
- “Math is way of life, kind of sort of like how racism takes place in life…you’re going to always have to deal with math in life…you’re going to always have to deal with racism in life.” -Julian Davis
Activity 5 Details
Essential question: Is racism a part of mathematics?
Sound track for the day: “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn you round” by The Freedom Singers
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong
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Introduction
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· The story of Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan: He wrote his findings, things he knew to be true, into his notebooks. He believed that the Goddess Namagiri brought his discoveries into his mind and therefore he didn’t require proof. The world of Western Mathematics is built upon axiom proof.
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· Share the story of Ramanujan with students. Use this as a story telling example of how the theater majors could present their personal math narratives.
· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the story
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Classwork
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-Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/geraldine-nash-and-gustina-atlas/
-Quote for the day
“Math is a way of life, kind of sort of like how racism takes place in life…you’re going to always have to deal with math in life…you’re going to always have to deal with racism in life.” -Julius Davis
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 5 of The Number Devil46
Square numbers
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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The interest of the Pythagoreans in numbers goes way beyond the purely arithmetical. For them, number was the universal principle that underlies the cosmos and allows it to be understood. As part of a unique blend of a rational approach to understanding nature with numerology and other mystical practices, the Pythagoreans saw the natural numbers as a clearly discernible, stable element that hides behind the apparent chaos of day-to-day experience and helps to make sense of it. Relations among numbers explain, in their view, such disparate phenomena as the properties of geometric solids, the relative motions of celestial bodies and their possible configurations on heaven, and the production of musical harmonies. -Leo Corry
-”To pythagoras, playing music was a mathematical act.” Like squares and triangles, lines were number-shapes, so dividing a string into two parts was the same as taking a ratio of two numbers. The harmony made by two notes was the harmony of mathematics -and the harmony of the universe.” -Charles Seife
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· Comparison of the Pythagoreans to the discussion of square numbers from the chapter
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Activity 6 Summary
In the sixth activity students will pattern sniff using the Fibonacci numbers. Additionally, students will explore 3 by 3 magic squares and try to find as many of them as possible (there are 8). While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quote:
- “A concise and meaningful definition of mathematics is virtually impossible. Mathematics has developed into a worldwide language with a particular kind of logical structure. It contains a body of knowledge relating to number and space, and prescribed a set of methods for reaching conclusions about the physical world” -George Joseph
Activity 6 Details
Essential question: What kinds of addition patterns exist?
Sound track for the day: “Why” by Tracy Chapman
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Magic Squares
The expression Magic square is commonly used for any arrangement of squares in which the cells contain numbers such that any column, row, or diagonal produces the same sum.
“There is evidence that magic squares were brought to China during a period of Islamic invasion. To this day, in northern India, healers make use of magic squares of order 3 in the treatment of malaria.” -Jean-Luc Chabert
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· Students work in pairs to construct a 3 by 3 magic square (there are 8 possibilities)
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/yvonne-logan-jones-and-ola-mae-logan-allen/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
· “A concise and meaningful definition of mathematics is virtually impossible. Mathematics has developed into a worldwide language with a particular kind of logical structure. It contains a body of knowledge relating to number and space, and prescribed a set of methods for reaching conclusions about the physical world -George Joseph
· Fibonacci was educated by Muslims in North Africa and then took his studies back to Italy where he wrote Liber Abaci in 1202. This introduced 0 to the European world.
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 6 of The Number Devil47
Fibonacci numbers
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Discuss how their writing is going. Is there anything we should agree to change on the rubric?
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· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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Activity 7 Summary
In the seventh activity students will create Pascal's triangle. Additionally, students will briefly be introduced to the life and work of Bob Moses from his early days int he voting rights movement to his later work with the Algebra Project. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quote:
- “One of the best ways to claim your heritage in mathematics is to find a game of strategy from your own cultural history and embrace the kind of thinking the game requires. Probe it with exploratory questions.”48
- “If we can do it, then we should do it.” -Bob Moses
Activity 7 Details
Essential question: Is mathematics living or dead?
Sound track for the day: “Lord, don’t move the mountain” by Inez Andrews
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Pascal’s triangle
Each cell is the sum of the two cells above it
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· Present the first four rows of Pascal’s triangle
· Have students brainstorm what the pattern might be
· Have students construct more rows of their triangle
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/ralph-catania-and-colbert-williams/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
“If we can do it, then we should do it” -Bob Moses
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 7 of The Number Devil49
Pascals triangle
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Discuss how their writing is going.
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· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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Activity 8 Summary
In the eighth activity students will explore factorials and calculate them. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quotes:
- “At other times and places, people used other ways to help their calculations: pebbles, marks in the dust, knotted strings, tokenson a counting board, beads on an abacus.”50
- “So if you ask me, “why do mathematics?” I will say this: “Mathematics helps people flourish” Mathematics is for human flourishing.” -Frances Su
Activity 8 Details
Essential question: What does it mean to be “good” at math?
Sound track for the day: “Calypso Freedom” by sweet honey and the rock
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers,
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Factorials
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· Present the first four factorial numbers
· Have students brainstorm what the pattern might be
· Have students calculator 5!, 6!, 7!, etc
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/stories/les-scott-thea-and-amanda-grantsmith-2/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
· “In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed. This means that we are going to have to learn to think in radical terms.” -Ella Baker
· “So if you ask me, “Why do mathematics?” I will say this: “Mathematics helps people flourish.” Mathematics is for human flourishing”. -Frances Su
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 8 of The Number Devil51
Factorial
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Discuss how their writing is going.
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· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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Activity 9 Summary
In the ninth activity students will contemplate the infinite and infinitesimal as well as look at the irrational constant Pi. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quotes:
- “I am in a sense something intermediate between God and Naught.” -Rene Descartes
- “Where there is infinite there is joy. There is no joy in the finite.” -The Chandogya Upanishad
Activity 9 Details
Essential question: What is more impressive: Everything that exists inside a cell or everything that exists inside a galaxy?
Soundtrack for the day: “All along the watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers, cardboard circles, string
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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Pi & irrationality
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· Have students measure the circumference and diameter of various cardboard circles and create a ratio between the two
· Discuss this relationship as Pi
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/animation/the-saint-of-dry-creek/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
“ Where there is infinite there is joy. There is no joy in the finite.” -The Chandogya Upanishad
“Concealed in the heart of all beings is the Atman, the Spirit, the Self, Smaller than the smallest atom, greater than the vast spaces.” -Charles Seife
‘Nothingness is benign and being nothingness our limited mind can not grasp or fathom this, for it joins infinity.” -Azrael of Gerona
“I am in a sense something intermediate between God and naught. -Rene Descartes
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 9 of The Number Devil52
Infinitesimal vs Infinite
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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Discuss how their writing is going.
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· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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Activity 10 Summary
In the tenth activity students will return to their work with the Fibonacci numbers and explore Phi (The Golden Ratio). In this lesson students will also construct a pentagram and read about its historical significance. While preparing for the lesson it is recommended that the instructor review and reflect on the following quote:
- “Every being cries out silently to be read differently.” -Simone Weil
Activity 10 Details
Essential question: Is mathematics divine?
Sound track for the day: “I wish I knew how it would feel to be free” by Nina Simone
Materials: Math notebook, The Number Devil, calculators, rulers, strips of paper
Activity
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Topic
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Details
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Warm up
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WODB for the day: https://wodb.ca
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· Students use think, pair, share strategy to decide which one of the four images doesn’t belong.
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Introduction
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The Golden ratio
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· Have students construct a golden ratio on a strip of paper
· Have students construct a golden spiral on a piece of paper
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Classwork
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· Storycorps: https://storycorps.org/animation/lessons-learned/
· Poem/Quotes for the day
· Every being cries out silently to be read differently -Simone Weil
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· Students write reflectively in response to the podcast and to the quotes
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Writing & Thinking
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Chapter 10 of The Number Devil53
Golden Ratio and pentagram
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· Students use think/write, pair, share to respond to the chapter
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Conclusion
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· Pentagram
· Discuss how their writing is going.
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· Students will construct a pentagram while listening to some of the history around this symbol
· Personal mathematics narrative check-in
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