Real-World Application Lessons (A snap!)
Community Review for Citizen Math
My Take
This is a great teaching tool. I would suggest that this be used once a unit? Otherwise students may feel inundated with this lesson format and lose interest. I liked the ability to search for content standards and grade level to pinpoint which lessons would benefit my students most. Students who are constantly asking or thinking about "why do we need to learn this" will find it gratifying to see real-world current applications of mathematical content and concepts. Visual learners will appreciate the visual tools (slideshows, videos, applets) incorporated into each lesson. The price point is a little steep, however I suggest finding several math teachers in your building who would be willing to chip in for one login. There is nothing specifically tied to your account, just open access to all of the lessons. I will definitely continue to use this as at the middle and high school level!
How I Use It
I used this product as a Formative Assessment of student understanding after the framework content lessons were taught. I also used these lessons at the end of the year to serve as a summative review of concepts students may need support with. The set up of the website is to provide teachers with all of the tools they will need to implement the lesson. This includes a slideshow, short video clips, student handouts, teacher lesson plans / guides, and questions for further thinking. You can search for lessons based on general content strands or specific common core standards. All lessons have a real-world application that is relatively current to pop culture and student experiences. Every now and again the website updates their lesson formats and library to reflect new trending topics. These lessons do require some guiding on the teachers part. Web-based applets are incorporated into the lesson which are especially helpful for graphing (think Desmos). They are also English heavy in that students with low English comprehension may struggle with the instructions. The visuals included in the slideshows do help to translate the meaning behind the lessons, but still may be difficult for lower-level ELLs.