PROJECTSAuthor(s): David GaySource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 95, No. 9 (DECEMBER 2002), pp. 734-735Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20871209 .

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Mansour Ghaznavi, P.O. Box 734, Silver Spring, MD 20918.

This large, laminated wall chart consists of sixty-four squares on the left side and a set of instruc tions on the right. Each square ha; nine seemingly unrelated num bers, but on closer inspection, th< viewer can see patterns that con nect the numbers in each square, The patterns range from simple multiplication that a middle schoo student can recognize to more sophisticated sequences that will catch the attention of high school ers. In the upper left-hand corner of the grid, the squares are mostlj or completely filled. As one move* to squares on the lower right, more and more of the numbers are missing, but students who have recognized the aforementioned patterns are capable of filling in the missing information. What would a student think of

Ghaznavi's creation? Jason, a self described mathematics zealot, saw the chart laying on a desk in my room and was immediately drawn to it. I offered to let him take the poster home for an evening in return for helping me write this review. He reported the following: Never before have I willingly stayed up past midnight to do

mathematics with such vigor. Upon first sight of "Ghaznavi's Squares," I wandered over to see just what they were. I quickly noticed the Fibonacci sequence and Pascal's triangle but also found that those two sequences weren't all there is to the chart. I tried solving more of the squares myself, and I found it was like a big mathematical crossword puzzle; the more numbers I filled in, the more I found I could fill in. After I had finished off the original grid, I tried to go ahead and extend the grid to nine by nine, then ten by ten. Eleven by eleven is going to be very diffi cult for me. Although the hints on the side of the poster were somewhat helpful in the begin ning of filling out empty squares, I found they grew to become less and less helpful, and I eventually stopped using them, deciphering

my own methods of determining patterns.

Although this poster is not a must for the classroom, it defi nitely makes for an intriguing exhibit. Most posters catch a stu dent's attention for a moment or

two, but "Ghaznavi's Squares" will draw them in to actually doing mathematics. That enticement alone makes this product well worth the price.?Patrick Farrell, instructor, and Jason Majkowski, student, Maine School of Science

> and Mathematics, Limestone, ME ' 04750.

Virtually all the students loved the idea of learning mathematics musically. One of the trigonometry students mentioned that music must be a great mnemonic device for learning "plain old" mathemat ical rules. Another student point ed out that the only answer to the perpetual question "When are we ever going to use this stuff?" was shown in a segment in which a young man applying for a job was given a mathematics test during the hiring process. All the other students agreed that a much stronger answer could have been advanced by demonstrating more

timely examples, such as having a checking account, owning a car, or earning wages from a part time job.

The only other negative com ment was that some of the rapping was hard to understand. One stu dent said that she just did not like rap. That statement, however, sparked a more positive discussion of the fact that the idea behind the videotape would work with virtually any kind of music.

Most of the students agreed that the appropriate time to show the videotape is at the beginning of the school year, and all of them suggested that the teacher could use it as a means of promoting diverse ways to present algebra, especially in the form of student projects. The intended audience, those taking algebra 1, enjoyed the videotape, and the students assured me that the music alone was enough to pique their interest in learning algebra rules. That assurance is enough to make a seasoned algebra teacher want to rush out and buy a copy!?Sue Barnes, Dierks High School, Dierks, AB 71833.

Rapmatics: Sing and Dance Your 1 Way to Algebra, 2001.18-minute

videotape for grades 9-12, $29.95. TMW Media Group, 2321 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291.

, This peppy, attention-grabbing musical videotape is designed for beginning algebra students. I reviewed the videotape in all my classes, including a dual-credit college trigonometry class for seniors, an algebra A class made up of algebra 1 students who were either repeating first-year algebra or taking it the first time at a slow pace, and two eighth grade prealgebra classes. With such a variance of ages and mathematical backgrounds, I expected different reactions.

===== I Edited by Gina Foletta, foletta@nku.edu, Northern Kentucky University,

^^^^JH Highland Heights, KY 41099

Math and Parent Partnerships in the Southwest (MAPPS) Math and Parent Partnerships in the Southwest (MAPPS) is a four year project to engage parents of students in grades K-12 in school mathematics. It began in fall 1999, is funded by the National Science Foundation, and is administered by the department of mathematics at the University of Arizona. Prin cipal investigators are Marta Civil and David Gay. During its first two years, MAPPS worked with the Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona, to develop ac tivities that provide parents with in-depth experiences in school mathematics and the processes used in teaching and learning it. The program also offers parents opportunities to take on leader ship roles in working with teach

ers, administrators, and other parents.

In summer 2001, the project expanded to include three addi tional sites in the Southwest, at Las Vegas, Nevada; San Jose, California; and Chandler, Arizona. The model developed at Sunnyside for working with parents is being implemented at these sites, which are partnerships between school districts and institutions of high er education.

Three kinds of MAPPS activi ties have been developed, each involving a different level of commitment.

Math Awareness Workshops. Each two-hour session gives par ents and their children a stimu lating, enjoyable experience with

a single topic in mathematics, such as multiplication, surface area, number sense, or data.

Parents and children work co operatively in groups and use hands-on materials to solve problems. The workshops help parents recognize connections among school mathematics, real-world applications, and access to careers. Twenty work

shops are being developed. Math for Parents Mini-Courses. Five of these courses are avail able, each based on a theme of school mathematics: algebra, whole numbers, fractions, geom etry, and data. Each course takes place in eight 2-hour sessions spread out over a semester. In

these courses, parents are

734 MATHEMATICS TEACHER

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actively engaged in doing mathematics.

Leadership Development Sessions. These ses sions are for district parents and teachers who will take on leadership roles in the project, such as recruiting other parents, presenting workshops, and initiating new parent and teacher leaders to the project.

Another important goal of MAPPS is to devel

op and inseminate materials that will enable school districts around the country to establish and operate parental-involvement programs sim ilar to the ones being implemented during the

period of the grant. The set of materials will include guides for running Math Awareness

Workshops, texts for the Math for Parents Mini

Courses, a leadership handbook, and a guidebook for overseeing the entire program. Videotapes showing MAPPS in action are also planned. Most materials are written in both English and

Spanish. Many of these publications are already avail

able in draft form, and requests for single sample items will gladly be honored. For multiple items, program adjninistrators ask that you cover copying and postage costs. For more information about

MAPPS, including a list of publications and their

costs, visit the project's Web site at www.math

.arizona.edu/~mapps or write to Sergio Cota, MAPPS Administrative Secretary, Department of Mathematics, University of Arizona, 617 N. Santa Rita, Tucson, AZ 85721.?David Gay.

Mr

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Excellent resource for mathematics educators! For the first time ever, an NCTM yearbook with a supplementary booklet that provides activities for teachers to use in their classrooms. A two-in-one package filled with information and ready-to-use materials.

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The companion booklet presents activities that illustrate ideas in the

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Hardback, 6" x 9", 275 pp. Companion Booklet, S1^" x 11", 58 pp. ISBN 0-87353-519-7, NCTM stock #12244AJ, $39.95 (member price $31.96)

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Vol. 95, No. 9 December 2002 735

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