Media 4 Math: Math in the News
What it is: Media 4 Math: Math in the News helps students view current events through the “prism of mathematics.” Every week features a new story that makes headlines and the underlying mathematical story gets extracted. The Math in the News site is a little bit confusing to navigate at first (it isn’t really clear where to find each issue of Math in the News). Scroll down to see an archive of stories. Each entry has a Slideshare version of the presentation, a YouTube version or the Math in the News app version. These presentations are full lessons with embedded background knowledge articles and videos, data sets, current event explanations and a walk through of how to solve.
In addition to Math in the News, Media 4 Math also has Math Tutorials, Promethean Flipcharts, Powerpoint slideshows, Math Labs, Print Resources, a Video Gallery, Math Solvers and more. I really like the Math Solvers, students can choose a problem type, input their own data and see a breakdown of how to solve the problem. The Math Labs include PDF worksheets and YouTube Videos that lead them through real-math problem sets.
How to integrate Media 4 Math: Math in the News into the classroom: Media 4 Math: Math in the News is a fantastic way to help your students make the connection between the upper-level math they are learning and life. I’m fairly certain that every math teacher in history has heard “what are we ever going to use this for?” This site helps students not only see that math is everywhere, but also walks them through how to think mathematically. There are plenty of resources that walk students through common mathematical functions. This site is a great supplement to any math curriculum!
With new content weekly, your curriculum will be fresh and relevant! Share Math in the News using an interactive whiteboard or projector-connected computer, as a math center on classroom computers, individually with laptops or iPads, etc. Flip your math class and have students explore a Math Tutorial to prepare them for the next day of learning. Then they can test a few scenarios in Math Solvers and come up with their own explanation of the concept. In class, students can work with you to solidify and practice the learning.
Tips: Sign up for the free weekly newsletter to have Math in the News delivered right to your inbox. Do you have a classroom iPad? Math in the News now has an app!
Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Math in the News in your classroom.