The National Math Trail: 
Staff Development and Teaching Resources Kit

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Are you looking for ways to integrate technology into your mathematics curriculum? Get students motivated? Improve their skills?

How about a staff development program that helps teachers accomplish all of the above--in the same activity! 

Then here's an answer:  The National Math Trail.

On the National Math Trail, students first do "math trails" in their own communities, creating and solving math problems that relate to what they find. Teachers can then submit the completed work to the National Math Trail site, along with photos, drawings, sound recordings, videos--whatever can be adapted to the Internet. 

The National Math Trail Resource kit, produced by The Futures Channel, contains everything that teachers need to do all of this successfully--and everything that staff developers need to plan and deliver exciting training programs based on math trails.

Click on the questions below to find out more

What's in the kit?

What is on the CD-ROM?

How easy is it to use?

What will the results be?

How does it correlate to  standards?

What does it cost?

Place your order today! For ordering information, call 1-800-404-3273, extension 267

Need an order form? Click here (Adobe Acrobat pdf format)

Click here to send an email message.

What's in the kit?

Each kit contains:

• Two award-winning video programs—Good Morning Miss Toliver and the “Math Trail” episode of Teacher Talk—featuring master and award-winning teacher Kay Toliver and her students doing the Math Trail activities.
  
  

• Tutorial CD-ROM, with instructions and templates for creating an Internet submission to the National Math Trail.  This CD-ROM also includes an orientation to the Math Trail activity, correlating curriculum standards, and examples of real world mathematics, which will motivate and stimulate teacher and student creativity.
  
  

• Staff Development and lesson resources print guide.  This guide provides educators with all the necessary tools to develop and implement this exciting resource in their curriculum, including sample problems that have been successful in other classrooms. It also includes complete guidelines on planning and delivering your own Math Trail training session!

back to questions

If you were in this garden, how could you very quickly, yet accurately, estimate the total number of tulips?

What will the results be?

The National Math Trail activity has these objectives:

• To help students value mathematics by giving them an opportunity to discover its applications in the real world.

• To improve students' problem-solving abilities by giving them an opportunity to create and solve their own problems.

• To improve students' abilities to communicate mathematical ideas.

• To improve students' abilities to work together on mathematical problems.

• To develop students' interest in and respect for the community in which they live.

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How could you  determine how much water is flowing out of the fountain in one hour?

Determine the portion of the design devoted to each of the three colors.

If the larger windows in these buildings are flat, rather than curved, how could you determine their exact dimensions?

The lower half of the chandelier takes on the shape of four cylinders. What measurements would you need to make in order to determine their volume?

How does it correlate to standards?

The National Math Trail, as a classroom activity, supports the following standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM):

Connections Standard
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/conn.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas;

• understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole;

• recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.

Communication Standard
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/comm.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication;

• communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others;

• analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others;

• use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely.

Problem Solving Standard
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/prob.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving;

• solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts;

• apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems;

• monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving.

Additional Standards

Problems created by students as part of National Math Trail submissions may also address other NCTM standards, for example:

Number and Operations
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/numb.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems;

• understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another;

• compute fluently and make reasonable estimates.

Algebra
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/alg.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• understand patterns, relations, and functions;

• represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols;

• use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships;

• analyze change in various contexts.

Geometry
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/geom.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships;

• specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems;

• apply transformations and use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations;

• use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems.

Measurement
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter3/meas.htm

Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to-

• understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement;

• apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements

back to questions

Measure the distance (denoted by D) from the center of the table to any one of the corners. Find the ratio of the perimeter (denoted by P) of the table to the distance D.

What is on the CD-ROM?

Orientation

Math Trails - What is a math trail, exactly, and what are the objectives of the activity?

How to do a Math Trail

Planning - Getting ready for your math trail.

Orientation and Trial Run - Make sure your students understand what is expected.

The Assignment - Do the trail!

Assessment - Suggestions for evaluating you students' work.

Examples

Images - Pictures and examples of related math problems that will give you and your students a better idea of what to look for on your own math trail.

Videos - Video clips and related math problems will show you and your students that mathematics opens the door to rewarding careers in a wide range of professions.

Submissions - Math trail problems created by teachers and students for the National Math Trail Project.

Creating Web Pages

Instructions and Templates - Creating web pages is a lot easier than you think!

Professional Development

Preparation - Get ready to train your teachers.

The Training Session - Step by step.

Evaluation Form - How did your training go?

back to questions

How much smaller would each table have to be to get two more tables into this space and still leave the same amount of room between tables?

How easy is it to use?

The National Math Trail resource kit is user-friendly even for teachers who are new to teaching, or new to this subject.

1. The two video tapes- Good Morning Miss Toliver and the "Math Trail" episode of Teacher Talk- clearly explain and review the philosophy behind the Math Trail activity.

2. The print guide provides clear and precise instructions on how to conduct a National Math Trail Training Session, as well as sample Math Trail problems which have already been submitted to the award-winning National Math Trail Web site.

3. The CD-ROM has an easy-to-use interface which gives additional information on the activity, along with instructions and templates for creating and submitting your Math Trail activity.

back to questions

Count the number of short pieces of metal tubing for each color and check to see if one color was used more often than another.

What does it cost?

The kits cost $195.00 each.  There are discounts available for quantity purchases.

Bring Kay Toliver to Your District!

For districts purchasing 200 or more kits, award-winning master teacher Kay Toliver will come to your district and deliver an inspiring lecture about the methods she uses to engage and motivate students.  These lectures, hosted by The Futures Channel, are available through the Fall of 2001.

ACT NOW to secure a wonderful opportunity for your district!  This part of the offer is on a first-come, first-served basis.

For details, call 1-800-404-FASE, extension 267.

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