School RULES! Math. Emma MacLaren Henke

Math Glossary

      countdown!

      Get your mind ready for math.

      QUIZ

      Are You Mad

      for Math?

      When you think about math,

      does your brain rev up or shut down?

      1. All day long, I find myself counting,

      figuring time, and wondering,

      How long? How far? How many?

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      2. I’ll often

      choose

      to do

      my math

      homework

      first.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      3. Sometimes I worry

      that math is a subject

      I’ll never be good at.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      4. Math

      tests

      make

      me

      nervous.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      5. I’d feel comfortable

      tutoring a friend

      who’s having a hard

      time in math class.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      6. I wonder

      why we have

      to study so

      much math

      in school.

      We have

      calculators and com-

      puters, right?

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      7. I can picture myself

      working in a job

      where I’ll need great

      math skills, such

      as teacher, banker,

      computer scientist,

      or accountant.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      8. When I get stuck on a

      challenging math problem,

      I give up trying to solve it

      pretty quickly.

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      9. My friends think

      I’m a math whiz!

      Sounds like me.

      That’s not me.

      Answers

      Did you choose mostly violet answers? If so, you have a super-positive

      math-titude! You like the way it feels when math challenges you, and you enjoy

      using your mind in a mathematical way. This book is for you because it will show

      you new ways to think about math and new tricks to explore the subject you love.

      Did you pick blue answers the most? You might feel a bit uncomfortable with

      math. That’s OK! This book is for you because it can help you understand how

      you do math all the time, every day, without even thinking about it. Plus, you’ll

      discover cool tools to boost your math confidence and strategies to help you

      understand math better than you ever thought you could.

      Whether math is your favorite subject or your favorite subject to avoid, your

      brain is made for math. Every time you take a step, your mind figures how

      far to move your foot. Every time you catch a ball, your mind calculates how

      fast it’s coming toward you and tells you when to put up your hands. In math

      class, you learn the concepts behind things your body and mind do naturally.

      Tools of the Trade

      Prep for success with the right supplies.

      your favorite pencils

      Use pencils instead of

      pens so you can easily erase.

      scratch paper

      Diagram, draw, or

      calculate on blank

      paper when you’re

      trying to figure

      out tricky math

      problems.

      protractor

      Draw proper angles

      and curves.

      engineer’s or

      artist’s eraser

      A good vinyl or

      plastic eraser lets

      you rub away

      mistakes with-

      out smudging

      your paper.

      ruler Measure accurately and draw straight lines.

      graph paper

      It’s a mathematician’s best friend!

      Use it to

      keep your

      computation

      super neat

      or to figure

      out complex

      problems.

      calculator

      It’s OK to use a calculator to

      check homework answers, as

      long as you do the work first!

      dry-erase board

      Just erase and use it over and over

      again to solve problems. It’s fun!

      flash

      cards

      These