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Re: "The Standards are hypocritical" says Andrei
Posted:
Nov 3, 1995 9:07 PM
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In response to Andrei's request for just one good problem I have used, I
shall share one activity that my students enjoyed. (I did read a hint of
sarcasm in the request, but I'm sure I was reading beteen the lines.)
David Foster, a dear friend of mine and author wrote a unit titled Home
Improvement. This is a part of the unit. The students are given costs of
several items needed for redecorating. The cost of a gallon of paint with
how many sqaure feet can be painted with a gallon, the cost for wall
paper, various floor coverings etc. are given and entered into a
spreadsheet. Many of the items are available in multiple grades. The
students are given the task to remodel people's homes according to the
needs of their clients. To do so, they must enter formulas to find the
cost of each item for a square foot. A spreadsheet is designed to track
the costs as they chage parameters. They worked through several different
designs, using the spreadsheet to model changes. Their working knowledge
of formulas increased dramatically. AND they understood what they were
doing. This really is a wonderful unit. I used it with my eighth grade
algebra class. If you are interested in more information,feel free to
contact me. Send me private note at jsmith@cello.gina.calstate.edu so
this list won't get cluttered.
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