Math Monsters Episode #1: Data Collection [VHS]

Burstein, John

ISBN 10: 188702817X ISBN 13: 9781887028172

Synopsis

Math Monsters™ is a brand new, beautifully animated public television series that is designed to help students, grades K through 2nd, learn mathematics at home and in the classroom. The series was produced in cooperation with The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to meet and support their newly released national standards for K-2 math instruction. Math Monsters is an entertaining gateway to in-depth mathematical thinking and reasoning involving meaningful real world problems.

In Episode #1, Data Collection: the Monsters are enjoying a breakfast of pancakes and decide to open a pancake restaurant. They all make suggestions about what kind of pancakes to serve, but realize there are too many possibilities. They decide to conduct a survey to collect the data they need to make an informed menu selection. The Monsters go out into the neighborhood and ask what pancakes the local Monsters like best. They all take down the information but each one represents the data differently – one draws a picture for each pancake somebody names, one writes down the names of each pancake selected and one uses tally marks. Next, the Monsters must figure out how to combine their various representations of data to determine which pancakes are the favorites of the most monsters. Our field trip takes us to the zoo where we see how data is collected from the various animal houses and used to order the weekly food supply for the animals.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 8 Up-Featuring poetry performances, this film examines an important aspect of Afro-Caribbean cultural heritage. Verso Negro, or black verse, is poetry from the late 1920s to the early 1940s celebrating African culture in the Spanish Caribbean. Black verse draws from old oral traditions of storytelling and Spanish epic, and incorporates African words, sounds, rhythm, and ritual. The poems speak openly about race and prejudice, as well as the beauty of African heritage in the Caribbean. Declamadores, performers of poetry, have kept the tradition of black verse alive. Archival footage of performers, interviews, and still photos introduce viewers to some of the most notable declamadores. The program features Efrain Ortiz, a young contemporary declamadore who performs many of the classic Verso Negro poems and who is struggling to keep this tradition alive through his performances in neighborhoods, schools, and festivals in Puerto Rico and the United States. The video is well organized and easy to follow. A female narrator provides good narration. Subheadings appear onscreen when Spanish is spoken. Many of the ideas and poems presented will provide a springboard for classroom discussion and research. More appropriate for older students, this program will be useful with classes studying Afro-Caribbean literature and culture.
Anita Paque, Templeton Middle School, WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• ISBN 10: 188702817X
• ISBN 13: 9781887028172
• Binding: VHS Tape