User-Friendly Math for Parents (eBook)

Catheryne Draper has been learning from her students for over half a century of teaching, supervising the math program in a school district, advising math education at the state level, coaching math in schools, and presenting math workshops for teachers. She is the author of The Algebra Game, a hands-on multi-deck algebra program in four topics covering Linear Graphs, Quadratic Equations, Conic Sections, and Trig Functions that allows students to work together in cooperative groups, or individually, to identify the algebra relationships and patterns in the each topic and in the organization across the topics. In addition to contributing many published articles, Draper is also the author of Winning the Math Homework Challenge: Insights for Parents To See Math Differently.

PrefaceForewordIntroductionPart I: Definition 1. Getting a Grip on Number SenseNumber Freedom Flexibility Through Composition and Decomposition of NumbersHow Counting Can Make or Break Number Sense Ducks, Gauss, and GeorgeKeep in Mind2. The Map of Number Symbol TerritoryThe Shapes of Reading Numbers Is Subitizing About Another Shape to Recognize?Alphabet of Letters and Alphabet of DigitsWriting Numbers and Reading Symbolism Keep in Mind3. An Evolution of Number and Naming RightsCounting (Natural), and Whole Numbers Integers and Other Positive and Negative Absurd Numbers Rational Numbers Include Fractions and Other Number Comparisons Politics of Rational and Unutterable Irrational Numbers Infinity, Googol, and Other Very Large Ideas Keep in MindPart II: Organization 4. Classify FirstThree Is Not Red Classification as an Essential Skill Different Classifications Lead to Increased Flexibility Keep in Mind5. Whence Came Place Value?Digits Continue to be the Alphabet for Numbers Some Cautionary Tales About Learning Place Value Classifying by Size for Place Value Transitioning to Place Value Record-KeepingCharles’ Overlays Decimals Continue the Same Organization, Just Smaller Keep in Mind6. The Number Line Brings Numbers to OrderFirst, Last, and In Between – The Nature of OrderRepetition of Pattern in Sequential Order A Place for Everything Keep in MindPart III: Relationships and Patterns7. Pattern AncestorsRepeating Patterns Growing PatternsAncestors of Figurate Numbers and Other Growing Patterns Patterns Inside EquivalencesExpressing Ancestral Rules as Algebra Relationships Keep in Mind8. Balance of Relationships and PatternsFlexibility Within BalanceBalance in Fraction Equivalences Decimal Numbers Are Connections to the Other SideFinding Patterns With ViewfindersKeep in Mind9. Number Personalities Even and Odd NumbersPrime and Composite NumbersPositive and Negative Integers Numbers Can Have Multiple Number PersonalitiesKeep in MindPart IV: Connections10. Place Value LegaciesExponents and Logarithms Location Matters Reciprocals: A Location and an Inverse Who Moved My Decimal? Keep in Mind11. Ratio: The Comparison Effect Predicaments Around Understanding Fraction as a Ratio NotationRatio Pairs Can Make Proportions Percentage: A Location and a Rate Keep in Mind12. More Order From the Number Line Number Lines Are Everywhere Coordinate Axes More Coordinate Connections Keep in MindConclusion: What Parents Can DoAsk QuestionsAdvocate for Number Sense Find Your Math VoiceKeep in MindGlossaryReferencesAbout the Author