Mathematics

Are gorillas more likely to be right handed than left handed? Can ants really be farmers? Go on a trip with Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, to find out! In You at the Zoo, Thane and the You at the Zoo Team lead students on explorations to find out how fast cheetahs run, what it takes to be a bird, and just what happens when you tickle a sensitive plant.

While women make up 46% of the work force, women hold only 8% of engineering jobs, and only 9% of our country’s physicists are women. Sound surprising? This program uses research and examples to appeal to
parents, caregivers, and the community regarding what they can and need to do to get their girls involved in science and math.

Vertices: Geometry Meets Art focuses on Ohio’s Academic Content Standards in Geometry and Visual Art for grades K-2. Components of the project include Professional Development videos for educators, including pre-assessment tips, questioning strategies, building an effective rubric and effective feedback techniques; student videos on predicting new shapes, recognizing geometric shapes, creating 3-D objects and building 3-D buildings; lesson plans and assessment tools; Careers in Math videos, and additional resources.

QuizBus: Dealing with Data will help students in Grades 4-8 have practice with collecting data, presenting it in an understandable fashion, analyzing the data through graphing, identifying ways data can be distorted and looking at both arithmetic and geometric probability (area models). This multimedia package contains five videos, a teacher guide and a Web site, http://WesternReservePublicMedia.org/quizbus.

Ohio Math Works is an interactive, multimedia program for 7-9 grade students that links mathematics with careers. Video, web, and print materials bring the world of fashion, food, theme parks, sports, and meteorology into the classroom. The series correlates to the Ohio Proficiency Outcomes for 9th grade and the Ohio High School Graduation Competencies. Through hands-on projects that simulate the daily challenges in these industries, students will use mathematics in much the same way that industry professionals do to create their products.39

NASA Sci Files is a standards-based, technology focused, close-captioned, distance learning initiative designed to integrate and enhance the teaching of math, science, geography and technology in grades 3-5. The 60-minute programs in the series use scientific inquiry, including the scientific method and science processing skills, problem-based learning, and NASA to introduce students to the excitement and exploration of real-world mathematics, science, geography an3d technology.

NASA's KSNN builds upon children's natural curiosity to introduce students in grades K-2 and 3-5 to the world of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and NASA. Each one-minute segment focuses on a different question and can be used as a springboard for classroom activities.

Link your students to examples of how mathematics and science are used everyday by NASA aeronautical engineers and scientists. Programs feature a live call-in students segment. Each program includes a lesson, a classroom experiment, and a web-based online interactive component which support national math and science standards.

Math and Science Gumbo takes the unique approach of using food and cooking to teach many principles in math and science. The series will focus on math concepts like unit pricing, fractions, estimation, units of measurement and area. On the science side, the series looks at the concepts of physical and chemical change, preservation, refrigeration, enzymes, microorganisms and gas laws. This series is tied to Ohio's Academic Content Standards.

Helping students learn math and science is the goal of this new multimedia project. The workings of the blimp will provide the framework for teachers to facilitate the application of concepts needed to prepare for Ohio's proficiency test. The video series follows two high school students, Rob and Lindsey, trying to win college scholarships. The two team up and decide to create a documentary about how blimps are made and how they work. Each video is a lesson starter that leads to hands-on CD-ROM, DVD and Web site activities.