A staff development series that is both a companion to The Eddie Files, and a unique visual library of compelling hands-on lessons showing teachers step-by-step how to deliver lessons on elementary mathematics topics which excite student interest, engage their problem-solving and communication skills and develop computational and reasoning skills.
Watch a clip of The Kay Toliver FilesThe Kay Toliver Files Box 4 Episodes:Ratios - Ms. Toliver starts this lesson off by showing students that the math concept "ratio" is especially important whenever a small shape must look exactly like a larger one. Then, with modeling clay, a ruler and maps, teams of students create surprisingly accurate representations of several U.S. states.
Variables - Starting with a discussion of the characteristics that change as a plant grows, Ms. Toliver introduces the concept of "variable" and its definition. Soon students are enthusiastically planting their own seeds, and over several days the class watches their plants grow and measure the effects of varying conditions.
Charts and Graphs - For a really hard problem, like deciding which color of candy is most likely to be drawn from a big glass jar, Ms. Toliver's students have learned one of the best problem-solving strategies is "organize your data". Thus it is that making graphs and charts becomes the central activity of this problem-based lesson.
Percents - Ms. Toliver takes the class on a search for the perfect color in the opening of this lesson. Following a review of percents, students don their own smocks and create a beautiful spectrum of color, based on calculated percents of red, blue, and yellow food coloring.
