Benchmark � A handy reference
point to help in understanding t he
magnitude of numbers
Customary System � A complex
measurement system that originated
primarily in the Britis h empire and
includes t he units of measure inch,
y ard, pound and gallon
Metric System � A measurement
system used throughout the world
that is based on t he power of 10
Scientific Notation � A short way to write very large or very small num-
bers Standard Notation � The most common form of writ ten numbers.
For example, 254 is the standard
notat ion for 2 hundreds, 5 tens, and
4 ones
Data Around Us
Glossary
Connected Mathematics Project Everet t Public Schools Mathematics Program
Proposed Time Frame:
Approximately 6 weeks
Data Around Us
Number Sense
Unit Goals:
Understanding and comparing
large numbers Choosing appropriate uni ts of measure and understanding
the notation used to express
large numbers Estimating with large num bers Calculating with large numbers Determining population density
Web Resources
Spreadsheet
http://www. nytimes.com/learning/
teacher s/
lessons/19990506thursd ay_print.html
The New York Times Learning Net-
work Lesson Plan Developed in Partnershi p with The
Bank St reet College of Education in
New York City http:// www.nytimes.com/learning
Tips for Helping at Home
Good questions and good listening w ill
help children make se nse of mathemat-
ics an d build self-confidence. A good
question opens up a problem and su p-
ports different ways of thinking about it.
Here are some questions you might try,
notice that none of them can be an-
swered with a simple �yes � or �no�.
Getting Started
What do you need to find ou t?
What do you need to know?
What terms do you understan d or
not understand?
While Working
How can you organize the inf orma-
tion?
Do you see any patterns or relation-
ships that w ill help solve this?
What would happen if�?
Reflecting about the Solution
How do you know your answer is
reasonable?
Has the question been answ ered?
Can you explain it another w ay?
At Home:
1 Talk with your child about
what�s going on in mathem atics
class.
2 Look for ways to link mathe-
matical learning to daily activi-
ties. Encourag e your child to
figu re out the amounts for halv-
ing a recipe, estimating gas
mileage, or figuring a restau-
rant tip.
3 Encourage y our child to sched-
ule a regular time for home-
work and provide a comfortable
place for their study , free from
distractions.
4 Monitor y our child�s home-
work on a regular basis by
looking at one problem or ask-
ing your child to briefly de-
scribe the focus of the home-
work. When your child asks
for help, work with them in-
stead of doing the problem for
them.
At School
1 Attend Open House, Back to
School Nigh t, and after school
ev ents.
2 Join the parent-teacher organi-
zation
Investigation 1: Interpreting Disaster Reports
Consider some of the issues rela ted to working with
large num bers, including accuracy of reported num-
bers, methods of determining reported m easures,
and language used to mak e numerical comparisons
Review operations with large num bers
Investigation 2: Measuri ng Oil Spills
Revisit the ways that num bers are used in measure-
m ent to describe objects and events
Begin building a repertoire of m easurement bench-
marks for use in relating measurement information to
things that are personally meaningful
Develop skill in using benchmark strategies
Investigation 3: C omparing Large Numbers
Read and write large numbers
Round numbers to make judgm ents about the de-
gree of accuracy of numbers
Compare large numbers by orderi ng and with rates
Inv estigation 4: How Many is a Million?
Build a concrete understanding of a million in a vari-
ety of contexts
Review and extend the concept of pl ace value as it
relates to readi ng, writing and using large numbers
Review and extend the use of ex ponents
Write and interpret large num bers using scientific
and calcul ator notation
Estimate with large numbers
Investigation 5: Every Litter Bit Hu rts
Further develop operation sense, the ability to
choose the numbers and operations needed to an-
swer specific questions from given inform ation
Investigate how small quantitie s can accumulate to
produce a la rge quantity
Investigation 6: On an Average Day
Make decisions about the best way to compare
quantities
Apply various strategies for writi ng and comparing
quantities
Use appropriate benchmarks to make sense of large
numbers
Connected Mathematics Project
Mathematics in
Investigations
Phone: 425-385-4062
Fax: 425-385-4092
Email: mstine@everett.wednet.edu