Describes an activity for making the connection between triangle ratios and graphs of circular functions which helps middle school students understand the concept of a sine curve. (ASK)

Presented is an activity which shows how mathematics is used in real life and helps to establish a need for mathematics in students' futures. Adapted from a scavenger-hunt idea, this activity helps students to discover that almost every career makes use of mathematics. (KR)

Presents an argument for using dot paper rather than geoboards at postelementary levels to study perimeter, area, congruence, similarity, and other geometric ideas. Emphasizes need for students to be active learners. (GW)

Described are activities that use a hundred chart to improve student abilities to recognize and describe number patterns, to use variables, to make and informally prove conjectures, and to communicate mathematical ideas to classmates. Included are the directions, four reproducible student sheets, the answers, and extensions. (KR)

Describes an activity shared at an inservice teacher workshop and suitable for middle school in which students predict their ideal weight in kilograms based on tables giving ideal weights for given heights. (MDH)

Describes one unit on analyzing and writing mystery stories in a problem-solving seminar for seventh graders that incorporates the use of television, cooperative learning, and reading and writing in the mathematics class. Provides a sample activity sheet and examples of seventh-grade mystery stories. (Contains 14 references.) (MDH)

Presents five activities to help students construct meaning for multiplying fractions through real-world problem contexts, physical or pictorial models, the recognition of patterns, and the use of calculators. In the context of a garden plot, worksheets examine various aspects of parts of plots, patterns in plots, and a maximization problem.…