I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation? Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of a ramp? As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing to learn. Thanks, Mary
Hi Mary -- Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over the years. There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics. There's this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers think it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected. To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have a clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also take it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some call these sequences). You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular: http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html I'm guessing others will chime in. Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra. If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and link in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or similar material with that in mind. They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day after. Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and concrete in their properties and behaviors. Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting with such as V + F == E + 2. Kirby On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms@comcast.net> wrote:
I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation? * * *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of a ramp?* * * *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing to learn.* * * *Thanks,* * * *Mary*
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Welcome Mary. Mary first posted her question on my blog post about ISTE, so I sent her here, thinking of the work that many of you have been doing. In addition to Kirby, Andy Harrington has been looking at Python and algebra and I know there were others. I hope some of us can help you out. Cheers, Vern On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 12:50 AM, kirby urner <kirby.urner@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Mary --
Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over the years.
There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics. There's this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers think it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected.
To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have a clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also take it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some call these sequences).
You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular:
http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html
http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html
I'm guessing others will chime in.
Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra.
If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and link in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or similar material with that in mind.
They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day after.
Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and concrete in their properties and behaviors.
Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting with such as V + F == E + 2.
Kirby
On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms@comcast.net> wrote:
I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation? * * *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of a ramp?* * * *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing to learn.* * * *Thanks,* * * *Mary*
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_______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
-- Vern Ceder vceder@gmail.com, vceder@dogsinmotion.com The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
participants (3)
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kirby urner -
mary.dooms＠comcast.net -
Vern Ceder