Consumer Mathematics Teaching Units

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 048 149 SP 007 018 TITLE Consumer Mathematics. Teaching Units. INSTITUTIGN North Carolina State Board of Education, Raleigh. Dept. of Public Instruc,tion. PUB DATE 69 NOTE 169p. EDFS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS *Curriculum Guides, *lathematics Curriculum, *Practical MatLematics, *Secondary School Mathematics ABSTItACT GRADES OR AGE'S: Secondary school. SUBOECT MATTED: Consumer mathematics including--money management, transportation, probability, swindles and gyps, insurance, housing, taxes, consumer credit, banks, savings, and investments. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into ten parallel units, one for each of the atove areas, which lists objectives, activities, and materials. It is offset printed in a hard-cover, looseleaf notebook. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES: Behavioral objectives for each unit are listed at the beginning of the unit. They are followed by lists of topics tc, be covered and descriptions of suggested activities. Activities are not correlated with apy specific objective. Related mathematical problems and lists of suggested reading assignments are also given. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: There is a list of resources at the end of each unit which includes both printed and audiovisual materials. STUDEN7 ASSESSMEFT: It is suggested that the behavioral objectives for each unit be used in student assessment. OPTIONS: The guide is suggestive only. It states that the teacher should feel free to add to, omit, ot revise any part of it. (RT) CONSUMER MATHEMATICS TEACHING UNITS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFI;E Of EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO. DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM Th E PERSON OR ORGANLZATION ORIG- INATING IT POINTS OF VIPS/ OR DM- rINS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARLY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- CATION POSITION OR POLICY Mathematics Education Staff Robert R. Jones, State Supervisor Cie., M. Meek, Associate State Supervisor John W. Ogle, Associate 'tate Supc,isor Mary S. Tyson, Secretary Helen H. Chu, Secretary State Department of Public Instruction Raleigh, Nora Carolina September, 1969 FOREWORD The major rote of the State Education Agency is to render services to the public schools of North Carolina. One of the ways in which this may be done is by issuing curricular materials. Most of us realize that a single-teTA dominated course will not adequately enlist the interest of all students. We also recognize that the tremendous dem-Id won teachers' time creates problems in keeping track of new developments and materials. We hope that this manual. will provide assistance to teachers in locating mat..irials and planning aCtivities appropriate for the children enrolled in their classes. A. Craig State Sup4r/ntandnt c Instruction 2 PREFACE Consumer Mathematics is sometimes thought of as a course for students who do not plan to attend collage. If iti is, it ought to be deliberately designed to be as practical, relevant, immediately use foil, and down -to -earth as any instructional program can be. The facts of the matter are, however, that we are all consumers. There is no segment of our population that does not need matTematical skills curd insights when we are faced with decisions involving insurance, credit, housing, taxes, trouportation, and other every- day money matters. Mete apply to everyone regardless of his station in life or his academic goats. Of course, the degree and type of need will vary, and the instructional program should reflect that variety. However, for all students, the course needs to be as relevant and useful as possible. This curriculum guide has been prepared to help teachers provide such a program. Jerome H. Melton Assistant Superiettendent for Program Services 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The direct involvement of classroom teachers in planning statewide curriculum projects is a practice of long standing in the Department of Public Instruction. We value the services we receive from persons in the public schools as we, in turn, seek to serve those schools. We are particularly grateful to the following persons who served on writing committees in the preparation of this publication: Mrs. Rachel J. Amick Eastern Alamance High School, Mebane Mrs. M. W. Blakely J. W. Ligon Eigh School, Raleigh Mrs. Doris S. Ellington Fuquay-Vagina High School, Fuquay-Varina Mrs. Marguerite H. Greer Whiteville High School, Whiteville Mrs. Margaret S. Perkins Western Alamance High Schcol, Elon College Mrs. Marie D. Spoors Olympic High School, Charlotte Mr. F. W. Stanley Union Pines High School, Cameron Nile F. Hunt Director, Division of General Education INTRODUCTION The objective of this guide is to assist the teacher of Consumer Mathematics in planning and conducting the course in such a way that it will be immediately interesting and lastingly meaningful to the students. The series of units has been developed with one eye on the present needs of the students as consumers and the other on their long-raoge needs. The influence of the first criterion is evidenced in the timely and practical nature of the suggested activities and problems. The influence of the latter is not as evident owing to the innate ur- certainty of the distant future in a constantly changing world. It is quite likely that the problems which may arise in the distant future do not exist as problems today; therefore, frequent opportunities are given the students to apply general strategies of orobl.m analysis. Hopefully the unit approach will motivate the reluctant student to partici- pate in class activities. That he may learn is one objective and that he may observe the relevance of the school to community life is another. The guide consists of ten units, each of which is devoted to a topic concerning consumer application of mathematics. Tha order of presentation is left to the teacher's discretion. Due to the nature of consumer activity, there is some overlap of generalities in consumer economics as well as in related mathematical concepts. This repetition is not a disadvantage: It provides a vehicle for review and reinforcement. The units included in the guide are: Banks and Their Services Consumer Credit Housing Insurance Mathematics of Uncertainty: Probability & Statistics Money Management Savings & Investments Swindles & Gyps Taxes Transportation The units have the following format: An introductory statement to the teacher indicating some reasons for studying the topic. An outline of the unit which includes: Objectives in tern of observable behavior Suggested topics for study Mathemai:cal concepts Suggested introductory materials Suggestions for developing the unit Adr;itional activities 5 Typical related problems with answers Suggested reading assignments A bibliography of free materials Order forms for free materials A teacher's evaluation of the unit The guide has been designed to develop each unit through the device of enlarging the students' previously acquired knowledge. Questions and activities have been selected to lead the students to engage in investigations which will reveal misconceptions they may have concerning a particular consumer topic. USING THE GUIDE The guide is designed to help the teacher lead the students to a recognition of the uses of mathematics in consumer activities. The mathematics is presented concretely rather than abstractly, as an end in itself. When students' mathematical competencies do not satisfy such a need, time should be given to correc- tive practices. The properties of numbers may be emphasized whey. they can in- crease comprehension or simplify computations. Mathematics becomes moe efficient when comprehension is matched with speed. The unit approach on which the guide is based offers many opportunities for participation by individuals and small groups. Students involved in activities consistent with their abilities are likely to achieve some degree of success. Recognition of successful efforts will do much to improve attitudes. The guide contains listings of many previewed teaming Bids that are available at no cost other than return postage on borrowed materials. The classroom use of these up-to-date materials - booklets, charts, films and filmstrips - is recommended. In order that maximum benefits may be derived from the materials, it is strongly suggested that the teacher order them as early as possible. No matter how early they are ordered, some materials may be late in arriving. In such instances, the materials may be used to reinforce and to review previous experiences. Resource materials which are not available on a state-wide basis are not listed. Your local educatioial media personnel may be able to assist you in obtaining additional materials. The constant state of flux characterizing the economy with its effects upon the consumer quickly makes textbooks on consumer mathematics out of date. In addition, the most comprehensive of texts cannot contain sufficient material per- tinent to a local situation. For these reasons, suggestions in the guide will be helpful in acquiring local data that will add realism, relevance and interest to the course. There exists, perhaps, no single source of local information better than the community newspaper. The students can relate to regional situa- tions more readily than to textbook abstractions. Introduction 2 6 The general philosophy of th^ guide is that Consumer Mathematics should be conducted as a community-oriented laboratory course. Involving the students in the search for information is a valuable lesson in itself. They should be encouraged to give oral

Load more