1st Edition

On-the-Job Math Mysteries Real-Life Math From Exciting Careers (Grades 4-8)

By Marya Washington Tyler Copyright 2009
    88 Pages
    by Prufrock Press

    The author of the best-selling Real Life Math Mysteries offers students more close encounters with engaging professionals! After working through the math problems encountered on the job, your students will have no doubt about the absolute importance of math in the real world. Just like a field trip, but a lot more practical, this book takes students out into the field where they count fish, direct air traffic, carve a totem pole, write software code, care for orphaned sea creatures, recover sunken valuables, mush dogs, salvage timber, feed the homeless, film wildlife, and a lot more.

    The math problems are tied to NCTM standards, and students will use skills such as selecting an operation, determining place value, using fractions and decimals, working with geometry, applying measurement skills, estimating, and recording and analyzing data to solve them. Each set of problems is presented on separate reproducible worksheets, and the book includes a list of skills and comprehensive answer key.

    Working with the engaging and diverse mathematics presented here, students will see exactly what is at stake in problem solving, why mathematics is essential, and why accuracy matters. The light will go on for your students as they see that mathematical skills are essential to following their dreams.

    Grades 4-8

    Circus Performers (Washington State) Measurement: length, diameter Addition, multiplication, division Decimals: multiplication Extraneous information Organic Farmer (Washington State) Volume: cubic feet Division with remainder Weight: pounds Capacity: pints, quarts, gallons Decimals: multiplication Dogsled Musher (Alaska) Two-step problem solving Division Temperature: positive and negative Capacity: cups, gallons Time: days, minutes, hours Beekeepers (Washington State) Multistep problem solving Addition, multiplication, division with rounding Weight: ounces, pounds Capacity: pints, gallons Kayak Guide (Alaska) Multiplication: fraction or decimal Division with remainder Equivalent fractions Time: minutes, hours Rate: miles per hour Logical thinking, Make a chart Shellfish Farmer (Washington State) Multistep problem solving Multiplication Decimal: multiplication Time: minutes, hours, days, weeks, years County Judge (Washington State) Addition, subtraction Fractions: multiplication Fractions: equivalent Railroad Engineer (Washington State) Multistep problem solving Fractions: finding half Time: minutes, hours, addition Rate: miles per hour Videographer (Washington State) Multistep problem solving Addition: list Subtraction, multiplication Time: seconds, minutes, hours Weight: kilograms, grams Heavy Equipment Operator (Alaska) Addition, subtraction, multiplication Time: minutes, hours Weight: pounds, tons Fractions: multiplication Volume: cubic feet, yards Wildlife Veterinary Technician (Alaska) Decimals: multiplication, division Weight: kilograms, milliliters Ratios Software Engineer (Washington State) Logic: organizing information Greater than, less than, equal to Prime numbers, divisibility Environmental Health Specialist (Washington State) Addition, subtraction, multiplication Decimals: multiplication Volume: cubic yards Waste Manager (Washington State) Multiplication, division with remainder Extraneous information Ratios: gallons/mile Soup Kitchen Operator (Washington State) Fractions: multiplication Capacity: tablespoons, cups, gallons Percent: finding percent of Ratios Statistics: analyzing data Logging Manager (Washington State) Division with rounding Weight: pounds, tons Ratios Decimals: dividing Sawmill Operator (Alaska) Multistep problem solving Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division Fractions: multiplication Decimals: multiplication Length: inches, feet, diameter Volume: finding Pythagorean theorem, square numbers Commercial Fisherman (Alaska) Division with remainder Multiplication: money Diagram: reading a chart Graphing Addition: list Mental calculation Air Traffic Controller (Alaska) Time: minutes, hours, time zones Rate: miles/hour, miles/minute Master Carver (Alaska) Drawing a diagram Subtraction, multiplication Length: feet, inches Circles: diameter, circumference Weight: pounds, tons Decimals: multiplication Percent Time: weeks, years Estimation: length Diver (Alaska) Multistep problem solving Fractions to decimals Time: addition and subtraction Rate Extraneous information Bush Pilot (Alaska) Multistep problem solving Time: subtraction Decimals: multiplication, division, rounding Rate: gallons/hour, miles/hour Finding information Answer Key About the Author Common Core State Standards Alignment

    Biography

    Marya is the author of several Prufrock bestsellers, including Real Life Math Mysteries, It’s Alive!, and Extreme Math, which she cowrote with her husband Kip. They have four wonderful, spontaneous, gifted children scattered across the country.

    Here's a fun and engaging new math book from Prufrock Press. On-The-Job Math Mysteries has 70 plus pages of math problems and solutions that are based upon standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The problems are based on real people who use math in a variety of occupations. Black and white photographs of individuals at work add to the real-life theme. Some problems include helpful diagrams and charts.

    The variety of occupations covered in this book is quite diverse. In addition to those positions already noted, kids can read about how math is useful to the organic farmer, beekeeper, heavy equipment operator, software engineer, kayak guide, air traffic controller, bush pilot, and more. There are 22 occupations mentioned in all. Kids who appreciate academic work that has a purpose and real life applications will love OTJ Math Mysteries!,Lorel Shea,Bella Online, 4/20/09