Book Reviews - October 2007 - Volume 107 (6)

Math Dictionary for Kids

Author: Theresa R. Fitzgerald
p. 262
Prufrock Press, P.O. Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-0333
2006: 134 pages, Price: $12.95

Reviewer: John Eichinger
California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032

Distributive property? Formula for the perimeter of a circle? Definition of “transversal”? Some students recall math facts, concepts, and formulas quite easily. Many, however, don't. Math Dictionary for Kids, by Theresa R. Fitzgerald, is a book written especially for the latter group, and for their teachers. This reference book offers a well organized, thorough, and clearly presented explanation of important mathematical terms for grades 4-9. Each of the more than 400 definitions is concise, well illustrated, and comprehensible to student readers. In addition, the book offers relevant examples of each term or concept defined.

The major chapters of Math Dictionary for Kids include “Whole Numbers and Operations”, “Measurement”, “Algebraic Ideas”, “Geometry”, “Decimals, Fractions, Percents, and Ratios”, “Statistics and Probability”, and “Problem Solving”. In addition, the book offers individual “Quick Reference Guides” to operations, decimals, division, fractions, multiplication, and percent. Also included are summaries of frequently used formulas, and tables and charts and commonly requested facts.

Limitations are few and not troublesome. Math Dictionary for Kids isn't a stand-alone program for grade 4-9 classrooms, but it doesn't claim to be that sort of autonomous resource. Since the various terms are alphabetized independently within each of the seven major chapters, students may have difficulty finding some definitions if they don't first know which chapter to search (a form of the “how do you look up a word's spelling if you don't know how to spell the word?” paradox). However, this minor complication has been significantly alleviated by including a very thorough index of the dictionary's entire lexicon.

Math Dictionary for Kids may be used effectively in a variety of ways. It would definitely be an often-sought reference book in any grade 4-9 math classroom, but it offers much more than simple definitions. The book's clear style and inclusion of many strategies for success in problem solving make it well adapted for independent instruction. In fact, math educators looking to transcend the pedantic and repetitive pseudo-pedagogy that currently benumbs so many of our K-12 classrooms might find Math Dictionary for Kids to be a welcome resource for creative, content-based lesson enhancement. At the very least, it would be a welcome supplement to any math program. The book could be particularly valuable in multi-grade settings and/or classrooms with a wide range of student achievement levels or learning styles. That is, students who readily recall that a “transversal” constitutes “a straight line that intersects, or crosses, a set of lines,” and those who don't, are all likely, along with their teachers, to appreciate the style, content, and support of Theresa R. Fitzgerald's Math Dictionary for Kids.

Motivating Elementary & Middle School Students with Selected Physical Science Activities

Author: S. Wali Abdi
Pearson Custom Publishing, 75 Arlington St., Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116
2005; 123 pages

Reviewer: Paul Narguizian, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032

If you are a K - 8 preservice or inservice classroom teacher who is searching for ways to practice hands-on and minds-on science teaching and learning, then a good place to begin searching is Motivating Elementary & Middle School Students with Selected Physical Science Activities, written by S. Wali Abdi. It is often stated that students learn at different levels and that an effective teacher must use a variety of pedagogical styles in his or her classroom. In doing so, students are provided with an opportunity to engage in inquiry and reflection. One such instructional strategy involves inquiry-based science activities and demonstrations. Abdi provides the reader with engaging ways to deliver physical science content using low-cost materials, while at the same time helping students and parents experience the joy of learning physical science. The book contains over 50 investigative activities which help promote students' critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills. The user-friendly diagrams illustrated by Roscoe Bean assist the reader in deconstructing complex physical science concepts into simpler ones.

The book is divided into four main chapters which include: the characteristics of matter, air and air pressure, water, and light. Each chapter begins with essential and relevant background science information, which is immediately followed by frequently asked questions. All four of the aforementioned chapters contain exploratory science activities which are simple to do and require inexpensive and easy - to - find materials and are immediately followed by a detailed explanation of each activity. The activities focus on various scientific principles and content, and should be used as part of a chapter or unit, along with other supplementary materials, rather than a “stand alone” source.

Many of the featured science activities and demonstrations create a discrepant event: while the students expect one reaction, the process of the activity or demonstration might lead to a different conclusion. These types of activities are particularly useful for visualizing difficult physical science concepts. Motivating Elementary & Middle School Students with Selected Physical Science Activities is a wonderful resource that gives students, teachers, and parents the opportunity to experience and enjoy the world of physical science.