Welcome to the Figure
This! Web
site!
Helping families enjoy mathematics outside school through
a series of fun and engaging, high-quality challenges
The rigors and demands of our increasingly
complex, technologically dependent society have made high
student achievement in mathematics a top priority among educators,
policymakers, and employers. Todays citizens need more than
basic computation and rote mathematical skills. They must
master the higher-level concepts and approaches to problem
solving that are key to success in work and everyday life.
To meet this need, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
in cooperation with the National Action Council for Minorities
in Engineering, Widmeyer Communications, and the Learning
First Alliance, launched Figure
This!
Figure
This! demonstrates
challenging middle school mathematics and emphasizes the
importance of high-quality math education for all students. Funding
for the project was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF)
and the U.S. Department of Education. Figure
This! Mathematical challenges for families provide interesting
math challenges that middle-school students can do at
home with their families.
Each
challenge features:
- a description of the important math involved
- a note on where the math is used in the real world
- a hint to get started
- complete solutions
- a "Try This" section
- additional related problems with answers
- questions to think about
- fun facts related to the math
- resources for further exploration.
Cartoon characters named Polygon, Tessellation, Exponent, Tangent,
and Axis illustrate
the challenge features. They think math is great!
- To help families support their children's math studies, Figure
This! has family support materials
including:
- sample questions to ask teachers and administrators
about the school setting
- information on how to prepare students for continuing
education
- suggestions to help with math homework
- information on the changes in mathematics education
- examples of math in literature.
These resources, designed especially for families, are
in the Family Corner.
You may view web versions of the challenges
from the Challenge
Index. To
download and print PDF versions of the challenges in color
or black and white, see the Download
page of the Web site. For more information,
go to the Technical Requirements section.
If
you are interested in promoting Figure
This! in your community or with your
business, we encourage you to do so.
A
joint project of the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National
Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, and Widmeyer
Communications, with support from the National
Science Foundation and the U.S.
Department of Education - Figure
This! is designed to provide an exciting and family-friendly
way to become more involved in learning math.
List of Grantee Organizations
|