Finding Numbers in the Real World

In this article in Teaching Children Mathematics, Rebecca Klemm (a.k.a. The Numbers Lady) suggests that teachers send students on scavenger hunts for numbers in the classroom, on the playground, and in their neighborhoods. Some possibilities for students of different ages:

Taking photos of numbers – for example, shapes (triangles for three), names (classroom 4), quantities (six windows), and order (first-place ribbon);

Applications of larger numbers (a clock);

Finding a visual application of multiplication (a 5 x 4 array of windows);

What’s the largest number you can find? Estimate, then count it;

Look for relevant linkages of numbers to real-world objects – for example, animals, musical instruments, architectural features;

Ask “number link” questions – for example, What do Mount Rushmore and a ukulele have in common? (Four presidents, four strings) Have students submit their own questions from social studies, science, or art;

Have students make a collage from number links found in newspapers or magazines – for example, the picture of a two-hour parking zone sign. 

“This activity is easily adaptable to a variety of environments and promotes the development of observational skills, number sense, and the ability to make interdisciplinary connections,” says Klemm.

“Number Link Challenges” by Rebecca Klemm in Teaching Children Mathematics, September 2015 (Vol. 22, #2, p. 120), available for purchase at http://bit.ly/1NPny5k; Klemm can be reached at Rebecca@numbersaline.org. 

From the Marshall Memo #604