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ERIC Number: EJ1376741
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0025-5769
EISSN: EISSN-2330-0582
How Big Is a Leaf? Mathematical Modeling through STEM Inquiry
Fry, Kym; English, Lyn D.
Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, v116 n2 p99-107 Feb 2023
How might fourth graders address the problem of measuring the size of a leaf? And why might their classroom teachers choose such a shape to measure? One group of fourth-grade students in an urban Australian school were interested in knowing the sizes of leaves on a passionfruit vine growing at their school. The children were excited after a visit from an agricultural scientist, who shared his knowledge about photosynthesis. This article presents mathematical modeling explored in their classroom, as students explored ways to predict the surface area of a leaf (leaf size), within an agricultural science context involving fruit production. The first author and her co-teacher, who regularly shared teaching responsibilities, worked with an agricultural scientist in designing the inquiry for their fourth-grade class.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: publicationsdept@nctm.org; Web site: https://pubs.nctm.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A