?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Teaching Tips I Math Mysteries (cont.)
? § Present a similar problem, but one in which the fake weighs more than the genuine object does. Ask students to explain how they would adjust their strategies to find the fake then. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
?
?
?
?
?
Suggested Solution: It was not a cold day. 15ºC is equivalent to about 59ºF, which is a mild tempera- ture by most standards. The witness would not have been freezing, and the thief would not have been wearing a down coat. Teaching Tips: § You may want to briefly discuss the roles (defense and prosecution) of the different attorneys, and of other participants in a courtroom during a trial like this one. Explain any courtroom procedures or court-related language used in this story, as needed. § This problem is similar in nature to MIXED-UP IDENTITIES, MIXED-UP WINNERS, and IN A PICKLE. Here, students need to identify information given in the problem, and then to use it to rule out four suspects in order to find the one responsible for a theft. Guide them again to record in an organ- ized fashion all the data the pranksters’ note provides. Discuss ways to do this. Note: The key piece of information that the log lived in the biology lab is not presented until all the other information is given. Students need to read the entire story before making and using their tables. § You may want to let students work in pairs. Have partners discuss the inferences they make from the data they’ve recorded. § Also, as needed, review the distinction between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales. Discuss a formula to use (here’s one: ºF = x ºC + 32) to convert a temperature given in one scale to the equivalent temperature in the other. You may wish to use this opportunity to review other relationships between Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. You may also find it useful to discuss benchmark temperatures students can easily use to compare temperatures in the two scales. 9 5 9 5 An rritating nheritance § Invite a volunteer to put his or her table on the overhead projector or board. Ask the volunteer to explain how he or she used what the table shows to fill in the missing data. Math Skills/Concepts: organizing data, making inferences, logical reasoning Suggested Solution: Marcy took it; she had the key to the biology lab. Teaching Tips: M ascot M ischief
Suggested Solution: It was not a cold day. 15ºC is equivalent to about 59ºF, which is a mild tempera- ture by most standards. The witness would not have been freezing, and the thief would not have been wearing a down coat. Teaching Tips: § You may want to briefly discuss the roles (defense and prosecution) of the different attorneys, and of other participants in a courtroom during a trial like this one. Explain any courtroom procedures or court-related language used in this story, as needed. § Also, as needed, review the distinction between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales. Discuss a formula to use (here’s one: ºF = x ºC + 32) to convert a temperature given in one scale to the equivalent temperature in the other. You may wish to use this opportunity to review other relationships between Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. You may also find it useful to discuss benchmark temperatures students can easily use to compare temperatures in the two scales.
An rritating nheritance
Math Skills/Concepts: algebraic representation and modeling, fractions Suggested Solution: Libby—$12,000; Hector—$30,000; Dave—$60,000 Teaching Tips: ?
Math Skills/Concepts: algebraic representation and modeling, fractions Suggested Solution: Libby—$12,000; Hector—$30,000; Dave—$60,000 Teaching Tips: The S weet T ooth R obberies Teaching Tips: ? ? ? ? ?
?
?
?
§ Make sure students understand the relationships between the sizes of the three inheritances. Then guide them to represent each of the inheritances using an algebraic expression, and then to write and solve an equation to solve the problem. One possible equation to use is x + x + 5 x = 102,000, where x represents the smallest inheritance, the amount of money Libby will receive. Invite students to suggest other equations to use. § Some students may guess and then adjust their guesses to solve the problem. Ask them to explain their reasoning. One way: First determine which of the nephews or nieces gets the smallest part of the inheritance; choose a reason- able money amount for that niece or nephew; use that amount to find the others; adjust it as needed to fit the requirements of the problem. Guide students to look for a pattern in the dates of the robberies. Some may express the pattern as 2 x + 1. Others may describe it like this (or in words that mean the same thing): The difference in days between each pair of rob- bery dates is twice as great as the difference in days between the preceding pair of robbery dates. § Students will need to consult a calendar to find the date of the thief’s next strike. § Challenge students to find the date of the strike after the one on March 4. (May 7) Math Skills/Concepts: number patterns, measurement (elapsed time) Suggested Solution: The thief will strike again on March 4, if he/she sticks to his/her established pattern (unless it’s a leap year).
5 2 § Make sure students understand the relationships between the sizes of the three inheritances. Then guide them to represent each of the inheritances using an algebraic expression, and then to write and solve an equation to solve the problem. One possible equation to use is x + x + 5 x = 102,000, where x represents the smallest inheritance, the amount of money Libby will receive. Invite students to suggest other equations to use. 5 2 § Some students may guess and then adjust their guesses to solve the problem. Ask them to explain their reasoning. One way: First determine which of the nephews or nieces gets the smallest part of the inheritance; choose a reason- able money amount for that niece or nephew; use that amount to find the others; adjust it as needed to fit the requirements of the problem. 98
40 Fabulous Math Mysteries Scholastic Professional Books
F F
91
40 Fabulous Math Mysteries
Math Skills/Concepts: proportional reasoning, operations with money amounts Suggested Solution: Maureen’s proportional reasoning was faulty; the part of each ride for which Red
242 Scholar Zone Summer: Math
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs