Math+Research

One of my best collaborative partners is a math teacher and we do two research projects every year. The first project is a geometry research paper. Students choose one of three types of geometry: Euclidean, Non-Euclidian, or Fractal geometry. The students are 9th grade pre IB (International Baccaleureate). We brainstorm several research questions, but my personal favorite is how is ______ geometry used in today's world? Be specific and give examples.

Another math research project has to do with structures. Students must research some kind of a structure--bridge, building, etc. Their final project is to build that structure on a small to-scale platform (small enough to fit on a desktop).

One of the REQUIRED resources for both of these projects is Gale's Science Resource Center database. These research projects most definitely satisify several state standards, not to mention that both CAHSEE and STAR tests have library research questions, including electronic databases. The classroom teacher and I identify both math and information literacy standards and write those in to our lesson plan.

I hope this helps generate some ideas. Posted to CALIBK12 by Debra Budding, LMT Modesto High School Modesto, CA