Math On the Menu
Real-Life
Problem Solving for Grades 3—5
Written by Jaine Kopp with Denise Davila
In this engaging series of cooperative
activities, students plunge in to help the fictional Rosada family
as it opens, equips, and expands a Mexican restaurant...with all
the attendant real-life mathematical challenges. Students eagerly
apply different problem-solving strategies as they plan and enlarge
the tostadas menu, determine different combinations of ingredients,
analyze costs, set prices, and address interior logistics when
the restaurant expands to a second location.
The activities in this guide build on one another as the story
evolves, and children have the opportunity to use a wide variety
of combinatorial, statistical, mathematical-reasoning, and organizational
skills. Emphasis is put on cooperative learning, language arts,
and literature connections. These innovative activities put math
learning in a real-world, multicultural, and "I-can-relate"
context.
Jaine Kopp is the author of a number of GEMS mathematics
guides, including Frog Math,
Treasure Boxes,
and Build It! Festival.
She was also a co-author of Group
Solutions, Too! which won a 1998
Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award.
Interested in learning more about GEMS and math instruction? Download our PowerPoint presentation on The Rainbow of Math.
Comment on this GEMS unit.
Praise for Math on the Menu:
"Math on the menu is a valuable addition to any intermediate
(grades 3-5) teacher's thematic library."
—Teaching Children Mathematics
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