Seventh Grade Pull Out

Second Semester 2009 - 2010

I will pull the seventh grade ACE students once every other week from their Pre-Algebra class. We will be studying a unit titled “The 10 Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know (But are Rarely Taught)”.

Mathematicians and scientists have been closely tied to many famous disasters. The Challenger explosion, the failure of the Mars Explorer, and the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, for example, all involved thinking errors. This unit is designed to present the ten things our future mathematicians and scientists must know to prevent these kinds of tragedies from occurring. Because science and mathematics instruction is often dominated by facts and calculations, students are rarely exposed to these important concepts. These ten concepts, and the stories that bring them to life, clearly show strong connections between science and math and the world we live in. The units are titled:

• Math and science will tell you the truth.
• Your mind can be fooled (counterintuitive thinking).
• Occam’s razor
• Mistakes and frustrations are part of learning and part of life.
• It is important to keep an open mind.
• It is important to maintain a healthy skepticism.
• Don’t be fooled by statistics.
• You must know the difference between cause and correlation.
• Ethical decision making.
• Bias is everywhere.

Please come and visit us anytime. Just check with your child for meeting times. No need to call me ahead of time, just check in at the main office and tell them you want to visit the ACE class. If you have any questions, please e-mail me at reaston@nkcps.k12.va.us or call me.   Thank you for your cooperation and support.