Teaching mathematics using popular culture : strategies for common core instruction from film and television

245 Pages·2015·3.987 MB·English

by  Reiser, Elana

Teaching Mathematics
Using Popular Culture
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Teaching Mathematics
Using Popular Culture
Strategies for Common
Core Instruction from
Film and Television
Elana Reiser
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Reiser, Elana, 1979–
Teaching mathematics using popular culture : strategies for common
core instruction from film and television / Elana Reiser.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-7706-7 (softcover : acid free paper) ♾
ISBN 978-1-4766-2122-7 (ebook)
1. Mathematics—Study and teaching. 2. Mathematics—
Psychological aspects. 3. Mathematics in mass media. 4. Popular
culture. I. Title.
QA11.R426 2015
510.71'073—dc23 2015035342
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2015 Elana Reiser. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: insetJake Gyllenhaal in October Sky, 1999; backgroundboys
watching rocket launch, October Sky, 1999 (both images Photofest)
Printed in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my husband Justin for his endless
patience in thoughtful editing, giving suggestions, and
being somebody to bounce ideas off of.
I’d also like to thank my parents for encouraging me
to write a book and making me think it was possible
through their own accomplishments and published books.
Many thanks to my students and former students at
St. Joseph’s College for being so enthusiastic, especially to
James Fanning for all the help with pictures, and to Kristi
Burns, Julianne Miller, and Ashley Schreck for helping me
find examples to use.
Finally, thank you to my family for their help and
encouragement. This includes Michael and Sofia for all
their help with the pictures, Rachel for being my hand
model, and John, Lisa, and Florian.
v
Language and
Content Advisory
Several of the movies and television shows given as
examples in this book contain bad language and/or inap-
propriate scenes. For the most part the clips containing
math are not affected by these, but there are some cases
where curses are audible. It is advisable to watch all clips
beforehand and decide if they are appropriate to show in
your classroom.
vi
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments v
Language and Content Advisory vi
Solutions Explained viii
Preface 1
Introduction: The Theory of Visual Media
in the Mathematics Classroom 5
One: Common Core State Standards Initiative 11
Two: Number and Quantity 15
Three: Algebra 54
Four: Functions 76
Five: Modeling 103
Six: Geometry 125
Seven: Statistics and Probability 158
Eight: Outside the Classroom 189
Appendix A: The Euclidean Algorithm 195
Appendix B: Selected Solutions 196
Appendix C: Game Theory 210
Chapter Notes 219
Bibliography 225
Index 231
vii
Solutions Explained
Most of the activities in Chapters Two through Seven
are explained in detail and solutions are given. There are,
however, some activities that are not worked out in full
detail, for various reasons. For a selected number of these,
the solutions are provided in Appendix B.
viii
Preface
This book explores contemporary movies and television shows that con-
tain mathematical elements. This book also shows how math teachers can use
popular media to boost student motivation. The primary purpose of using media
in the mathematics classroom is to garner student interest, which one hopes
can translate into attention and then interest in mathematics. This adds a new
method to an educator’s teaching techniques, allowing for an additional way
to reach students in a subject that is notorious for being difficult. The exam-
ples in this book show that math is relevant to a student’s life by highlighting
real- world scenarios involving math played out by familiar characters. This
book hopes to make it clear that math practitioners can better serve their stu-
dentsby using student interests in popular media to increase student moti-
vation.
This book provides a rationale, based on research and experience, for
using popular media in the mathematics classroom, as well as examples of
how to use such media. This is an important topic because student motivation
in mathematics is an integral component of student success, and using pop-
ular media in the classroom is one way of motivating students. The popular
media discussed in this book includes films and television shows. The book
is organized based on the subject strands of the Common Core State Standards
Initiative. This allows teachers to go to the specific chapter that they need to
get examples for the class that they are teaching rather than having to search
through the book. The Common Core Standards were initiated at the state level
as a way for the states in the United States to have a shared set of standards in
English and mathematics. This should help ensure that no matter what state a
child lives in, he or she is getting the same level of education. The standards
were designed to prepare students for entering college and competing in a
global economy.
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