600-175-007       Mathematical Explorations for Elementary Teachers    Fall 2007

 

TR      007       12:30-1:45      PHY152

 

Instructor: Gary S. Luck

                        Office:  EMS 412       Phone: 229-5528

                        Email:     gluck@uwm.edu

                        Web address: www.uwm.edu/~gluck

 

Office Hours: MW 1-3 and by appointment. Confirm all appointments through email.

 

Prerequisites for course: Math placement score greater than or equal to 20 or C or better in Math 095 or repeating Math 175.

 

Goal of course: This course aims to demonstrate that Arithmetic makes sense, and to prepare teachers to help children experience arithmetic as making sense. Thus the course aims to prepare teachers to lead children to be able both to do arithmetic and arithmetic problems, and to understand the procedures, including the algebraic connections. Such an understanding is a necessary preparation for algebra. Conveying such understanding, and being able to help children correct misunderstandings in their work is a demanding task. Thus the course is one of reconstructing your understanding of arithmetic… it is not simply a review of arithmetic procedures.

 

Text: Beckmann & Luck, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, Custom Edition Copyright 2007 including Class activities book. [Required]    Please note: 175 and 176 have different texts this semester!!!

 

Syllabus: Chapters 1-7. See additional page for daily agenda (tentative) and assigned homework problems.

 

Reading: Make sure to do all assigned reading! It will motivate much of class discussion.

 

Homework: Homework will be collected on a daily basis. It will be graded on a 0-5 basis. Homework will be considered late if not handed in when requested (due date). Maximum credit for late work will be 2 of 5 points. Late assignments will be accepted for credit up to one week after due date. I will not review all of your work; I will comment to you on a subset of the entire assignment and give you an appropriate grade. However, completion of all problems will be perused to award you the maximum of 5 points for your work. A final homework grade will be determined by the total number of points accumulated during the semester. Homework should be marked clearly with name, assignment number, page and problem numbers. There will be a total of 20 assignments. Please be aware: Not all assignments will be graded and/or collected!

 

Homework,cont: Many problems ask for explanations. The text and answers for the exercises provide models. We do the problems for daily assignments. Carefully written explanations are an important part of the answer. Talk mathematics!!! As future teachers you will need this practice.

 

Attendance and Class Participation: Class attendance and participation in the class activities, discussion, group work and board work are vital for you to maximize the benefits that this course can bring to as a classroom teacher. For this reason, attendance and participation are included in your final grade (see below).

 

Calculators: You may decide to bring a calculator to class. We will spend time in class discussing the appropriate use of this tool. Calculators will not be allowed on midterms or the final.

 

Check Test of Procedural Skills: This 30 minute assessment must be passed with 80% correct (16 of 20 questions) in order to achieve a semester course grade of C or above. Passing this test does not insure a grade of C. This test will be administered in class on 9/18/07. Retakes of up to 2 parallel forms can be taken to achieve the minimum 80% level. Before any retake, you must schedule an appointment with me to review your errors. All retakes must be completed by 11/30/07. Practice tests are available for you at my website. Administered tests are generated from this link.

 

Grading:

Test #1

Chapters 1,2

9/20/07

100 Points

Test #2

Chapters 3,4

10/23/07

200 Points

Test #3

Chapters 5,6

11/20/07

200 Points

Homework

 

Daily

100 Points

Final Exam

Chapters 1-7

12/19/07 7:30-9:30am

300 Points

                                                                                                     Entire Course=   900 Points

Final Exam room location TBD.                       

Mark your calendars!!! Do not miss these important dates. Proper documentation is required for any makeup! This is more than merely a doctor’s note! Any problems…Make sure to take care of any problems prior to any absence. NO EXCEPTIONS.     Again… Do not miss these important dates!!!!

 

Additional comments on grading: embedded in the second and third tests are 15 points for attendance and 15 points for class participation.

 

Dates to Remember:

  • 9/17  last day to add, last day to change to or from credit/no credit/audit status
  • 10/1  last day to drop without a “w” on record
  • 10/26  last day to drop
  • 12/12  last day of classes
  • 12/13  study day
  • 12/14-15, 17-21  exam period

 

Students with Disabilities:

If you are a student with disability, please feel free to contact me early in the semester for any help or accommodations you may need.

 

Important! As a UWM student, you should read the information in the link shown below:

 

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf