L O C A L D I S T R I C T 3 S E C O N D A R Y M A T H E M A T I C S

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MATH NUZThe teachers, administrators and staff of the LAUSD believe in the equal worth and dignity of

all students and are committed to educate all students to their maximum potential. A Monthly Newsletter May 2008

Really Cool Math Sites!Games, Puzzles, Problems, Brain Teasers & More Fun are available at Cool Math Sites!

There are activities, student and teacher resources available for Algebra, Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Discrete Math, Statistics & Probability, Trigonometry, & Pre-Calculus.

Grow a Summer

Math Garden

Help your students keep their math skills blooming during the summer months by encouraging them to grow a summer math garden.

Think “real life, student-centered, differentiated, and meaningful.”

Encourage family discussions about how they relax during the summer?

Math is our invisible friend in all those activities around them; we are planting special seeds indeed.

VARK is a questionnaire

that provides users with a profile of their learning preferences.

These preferences are about the ways that students want to take-in and give-out information.

Discovering the learning preferences of our students can be a powerful tool for teachers as they plan student learning experiences and may lead to enhanced

Math Teacher

ToolsQUIA web offers

access to web

templates, online testing tools, online activities and quizzes. It allows teachers to network and collaborate quickly and enables teachers to create a centralized classroom management system, web page and online surveys for student feedback.

There is an Instructor Zone with interactive teaching tools and activities.

Top 10 Kids Math WebsitesThe editors of LoveToKnow looks for math sites that have depth and breadth in their area.

They try to cover as many different levels of expertise as possible, so that visitors with differing backgrounds and skill sets can find something about math they didn't know before.

Check out what these editors consider to be the Top 10 best kids

math web sites.

MATH ON THE WEBVARK: a guide to learning styles

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LD3 PROBLEM OF THE MONTH- Lilia NumberLilia noticed that certain three-digit numbers have a special property: In each of these “Lilia numbers,” the middle digit is the sum of the two outside digits. For example,154 is a Lilia number, because 1 + 4 = 5, and 363 is a Lilia number, because 3 + 3 = 6. List all Lilia numbers between 100 and 300. In the previous problem, you were asked to list all Lilia numbers between 100 and 300. Note that there are many other three-digit Lilia numbers in addition to these. How many Lilia numbers are there all together? (Remember that Lilia numbers must have exactly three digits.)

Answer:A.110, 121, 132, 143, 154, 165, 176, 187, 198, 220, 231, 242, 253, 264, 275, 286, first and second digits of a Lilia number are given, then there is only one possible third digit, because the third digit is the second digit minus the first digit. Also note that the second digit of a Lilia number must be at least as large as the first digit.B. 45 Lilia numbers. Nine numbers have a first digit of 1, eight have a first digit of 2, seven begin with 3, and so on; 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 45, so there are 45 total Lilia numbers. (Rock, David and Mary K. Porter, Palette of Problems, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Vol. 13, No. 6, February 2008, The National Council Teachers of Mathematics, Inc., Pg. 344.)

Focus on Orville Wright Middle SchoolOrville Wright Middle School had a π Day Celebration on March 14. Why March 14? Because 3.14 is the beginning of π. Students wore pins saying “I’m π and I'm irrational” or “I’m 22/7 and I'm rational”. There was a whole school estimation of π. Students, teachers and staff measured the circumferences and diameters of any and all circles found on campus. Rulers, yard sticks and tape measures were available all day. A large chart was filled in

with all the data, and the cooperative estimation was announced over the PA at the end of the day. Several

classrooms had pizza pie and fruit pie to share. Students presented their research on pi. The Math Coach lead a lunchtime discussion addressing the difference between estimating and calculating pi. Students created posters which included the history of pi, estimates other than 22/7, slicing up a circular disk to estimate pi, other irrational numbers, and pi in formulas not having to do with circles. Posters around campus displayed π jokes, π poems, and π trivia.

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The USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS) is a free mathematics competition open to all United States middle and high school students. The USAMTS is primarily funded by the National Security Agency, which has funded the program since 1992.

As opposed to most mathematics competitions, the USAMTS allows students a full month to work out their solutions. Carefully written justifications are required for each problem. The problems range in difficulty from being within the reach of most high school students to challenging the best students in the nation. Students may use any materials - books, calculators, computers - but all the work must be their own. The USAMTS is run on the honor system - it is an individual competition, whose competitive role is very secondary.

Each year the USAMTS consists of four rounds, each round featuring five problems. The problems are published on the USAMTS web site. Each round of problems is published at least four weeks before solutions are due. Students are asked to submit solutions to at least two of the problems each round. They can earn 5 points for the complete, well-written solution of each problem, and hence can accumulate up to 100 points during the school year.

You can also qualify for the American Invitational Math Exam (AIME) through USAMTS.

Math Nuz EditorsLD3 Secondary Mathematics

Coaches

Elisa Rose Twain MSGail Spear Emerson MSApril White Mann MS

CalendarMay 12-16 STAR Testing (Traditional Track Schools)

May 9LD3 Math Coach Meeting - Baldwin Hills DELTA Center, 5421 Rodeo Road, Los Angeles

May 26Memorial Day - School Holiday

District 3 StaffSuperintendentMichelle KingAdministrator of InstructionDr. Barbara SanduskyDirectorsMiddle SchoolDr. Kavin DotsonBrenda SteppesHigh SchoolDr. Tom Stekol Douglas WaybrightCoordinator Secondary MathematicsDr. John BaileySpecialistSecondary Mathematics Cheryl Serge

Los Angeles City Math Teachers’ Association

Now Accepting Nominations for Board Member Positions

If you are a math educator who has the desire to serve your own Greater Los Angeles mathematics community as an active member of this very dynamic board, now is your chance to do just that!

There are 3 director positions up for election this year. What does a Board member do?LACTMA Directors job description states, “Directors are designated to serve in one or more capacities such as chairperson of a committee, liaison to a designated organization or group, and other service(s) determined by the President and the Board of Directors.”

If you are interested, or if you know of someone who might be a great candidate, e-mail LACTMA a statement of candidacy (250 words or less) and send it by May 2, 2008 to Ana Batres at amb3745@lausd.net.