I think by having fun lesson plans that include history or doing a project and working together as a group, teachers can eventually have more students LOVE math. The following lesson plan Hieroglyphs and Mathematics is not only great for teaching mathematics, but also utilizes itself to history and language arts. In this assignment the teacher is able to utilize both group work and student participation. The teacher explains the assignment to them, they will be learning about ancient writings and how these writings were utilized throughout history and now. The teacher then explains and shows where Egypt is and what kind of ancient civilization it is. This is a really great tool for visual and auditory learners.
The teacher continues with the students reading an activity about Egypt and throughout the reading stops them periodically to write down interesting fact and vocabulary words they they come across. Volunteers read out loud and while students comment on the passage the teacher writes them down on a chart. After the reading activity, the student and teacher will have a discussion as a group and then break off into group activity. The groups will then reread the passages and work together to create a quiz. This is especially beneficial for students who might need help and work better with other students.
I really loved this lesson plan because this is something I would utilize in my classroom. I want my students to work together and love math. I look forward to making math fun and enjoyable. If I was the student in the class I would really enjoy this lesson because I am not only learning about math, but I am learning about ancient Egypt and the importance of Hieroglyphs. As a teacher, I think that history teachers would respect me as a mathematics teacher as well because I was able to incorporate this into a mathematics lesson for my students. So, when you think of math, don't think of Snoopy, think of me!
