I want math to make sense to students, both procedurally and in context. As a new teacher, I expected there to be numerous resources available related to specific standards that gave students insight into the genuine importance to mathematics in our world. Math class gets a bad rap for being inapplicable to students’ lives, and for good reason. Why do I care whether the area of the following figure is rational or irrational? And for that matter, who is measuring the length of their garden down to the precise irrational number of \(\sqrt{2}\)? No one.
I was shocked to discover that the lack of engaging, applied content in traditional math classrooms is less the fault of the teachers and much more the result of a lack of availabile resources. My first couple years of teaching, I searched and searched for resources that applied what my student were learning, gave them a deeper understanding, and helped them make connections with the outer world. Frankly, though, for most of the standards my state requires me to teach, these materials do not exist.
So, I began to create my own. For some standards, I’ve found valuable resources created by other educators. On this site, you’ll find collections and explanations of these resources. They cover both procedural knowledge and deeper applied knowledge of content. Whatever the resource, however, I’ve only included it if I’ve found it valuable in my own classroom with my own students. I’ve shifted through enough fluff on the Internet — I don’t want to provide yet another location for you to do the same.
If you ever have any suggestions, questions, comments, or remarks, please feel free to send me an email at mathismathing@gmail.com, or leave a comment on the page related to your question if that page allows. I want to create a valuable hub of resources and ideas that you can easily implement as a mathematics educator to make sure the math is mathing for your students.