Welcome to Somerville Mathematics
Erica
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Scrapheap Showdown 2010 -- Moving on up!
This year's problem was probably our biggest challenge because the students needed 4 hours to complete it. The challenge was to move up to 15 each of cocoons, marbles and/or bottle caps from a table top on the floor to a standing table. Their machines couldn't come within 12 inches of the upper table. There were three small targets on table -- students got point for landing on the table and many more points if they could land within the targets. There were bonus points for moving multiple types of objects into the targets and for landing in multiple targets.
The winning team had three elevators (see right) leading up to ramps with openings directly over the desired targets. Each elevator was operated by a counterweight on the far left end of the machine. Students would load the items to move into the cup elevator close to the floor (on right), and then the student on the left would release the weight.
The pictures of all of the other teams, along with their projects are on this link:
Scrapheap photos
The Somerville Mathematics Fund was charted in 2000 to celebrate and encourage mathematics achievement in Somerville MA. We run the annual Scrapheap challenge and family math nights along with awarding scholarships and teacher grants.
For more information or to make a donation, check out the math fund's website.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Scrapheap Showdown is Coming!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Somerville Mathematics Fund Scholarship Winners
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
SPROUTS, a wonderful place for exploring math and science in Somerville -- check it out!
by Alec Resnick
Sprout is an educational nonprofit which is starting up
its first big season of programs in the next few weeks.
You can find a full listing at the programs;theprograms
as well as more information about their open studios in
Davis Square ourstudios. What follows are some short
descriptions of their math- and science-focused programs
appropriate for both youth and adults in the area.
Significant financial support is available, so if you'd
like to make arrangements (or if you have any other
questions), feel free to email Alec Resnick at alec@thesprouts.org. - EXPLORING MATH THROUGH COMPUTATION, AND VICE VERSA turtlegeometry is a thirteen-week, hands-on seminar
exploring how we can actively and personally explore
questions of computer science, topology, and
differential geometry using the programming languages
Ruby, Processing, and Scratch. In particular, this
course will focus on exploring and unifying the
aesthetic and computational aspects of these fields.
No formal background in computer science or math beyond
basic comfort with algebra is required. There will be
three tracks: one for educators and parents, one for youth,
and one for a general audience. Email Alec at alec@thesprouts.org; if you have any questions or check
out the seminar site turtlegeometry; for more details. - ECOMODDING YOUR HOME eventbrite is a two month seminar focused on identifying and implementing simple
strategies to reduce electricity consumption. In this
seminar, we'll use a special power strip developed at
sprout. This power strip enables you to see how and
when your appliances use electricity and ensure they
only use electricity when you want them to--whether
that means turning off your TV's standby mode
while you're at work or dimming your lamp when its
sunny outside. This is accomplished by programming
the microcontrollers which control the power strip--
a skill participants will be introduced to through
this seminar. No background in electronics or
programming is required. - FLUTES AND WAVES flutesandwaves is a weekend
workshop in which participants will build their own
flutes and begin to explore the acoustical qualities
of those instruments. Interested participants will
have the chance to exlpore how their flute design
affects their instrument's acoustics using a spectrum
analyzer and working to understand the underlying
physics of what's going on inside the flute.
Instrument design is an amazing mix of craft and
science--despite how much we know, we don't know
much about how the finer points of instruments'
sound work. This is a two-day workshop and studio
(10AM-4PM on two, consecutive Saturdays) exploring
how flutes are made, and how their design controls
what sorts of sounds they can make. This workshop
is appropriate for people coming at it from the
musical, acoustical, or simply interested perspectives.
Email shaunalynn@thesprouts.org if you have any
questions. - DIGITAL GARDENING dg.eventbrite is a one day
workshop coordinated by Keith Simmons, co-designer
of the Wireplant microcontroller kit. Hosted at the
MIT Museum, this workshop leads participants through
the basic electronics and practical skills needed
to understand and assemble an Arduino-controlled
moisture sensor which lets you explore sensing
and measurement in gardening.
- SIMULATION AND NATURE IN DESIGN nervous.eventbrite
is a thirteen-week, project-driven seminar exploring
how computation and simulation can be used to take
inspiration from the processes and phenomena of the
natural world to produce physical and virtual
objects. Facilitated by Jesse Louis-Rosenberg
(co-founder of the Nervous System n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com
design studio), this seminar will explore how we can
understand natural forms—from leaf venation
to the growth of coral—with computational tools.
Email jesse@n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com if you have any
questions or check out the seminar site
n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/education for more details.
Monday, April 19, 2010
East Somerville Community School's Math Night
The parents were interested in learning other ways to approach topics such as division and in having their questions answered about math topics they never learned while in school, such as "outliers." It was interesting to see parents who had grown-up in other countries approached division with different algorithms than those of us who grew up in the US schools. Meanwhile, Linda Wiegenfeld was teaching yet another way to approach division, one that was more intuitive and representative of what is actually happening when you divide.
After joining the parents group for a while, I also visited the rooms where the students were playing mathematical games and enjoyed a game of Mancala with a couple of girls after watching students energetically playing a game of "baseball" using dice.
The event ended with everyone eating pizza, generously donated by the Bickoff family. Linda Wiegenfeld was a Somerville Mathematics Fund teacher grant winner who used her grant money to support this event and to buy the games that she also uses in her classroom at ESCS.
Be sure to read Delia Marshall's article on this event in the Somerville Journal.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Common Core Standards
The "Common Core" is worth your reading and considering what might be the expectations for our students and children in the not too distant future.
The NCTM is one of the organizations who has taken the time to review and write comments about the contents, sequencing, expectations, etc of the mathematics Common Core. You might want to read the NCTM comments.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Somerville’s Kennedy School celebrate Pi - Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 - Somerville Journal
Pi Night participants and volunteers listen as winners are announced at the end of an evening of games and activities celebrating the concept of “pi.” Thirty full-sized Table Talk pies were given as prizes at this event, which took place on March 12, the last weeknight before the date “3-14.”
Somerville High School juniors Samantha Dudley and Kathryn Long help out at Pi Night at the Kennedy School on March 12. Students who visited the “Mystery Box” table tried to guess the circumference of various jar lids without being able to see them. Nearly 40 SHS students volunteered for this middle-school math event, sponsored by the Somerville Math Fund.
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Friday, February 12, 2010
The Somerville Mathematics Fund Announces Winning Teacher Grants
The Somerville Mathematics Fund, an affiliate of Dollars for Scholars, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2010 Teacher Grants to encourage mathematics achievement in the classrooms in Somerville. Again, the members of the board were pleased with the quality of the applications this year and with the exciting things that are happening in the Somerville classrooms. With out the generosity of ESYL, The Somerville Mathematics Fund would not be able to support so many wonderful projects.
The Math Fund wants to thank ESYL for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:
o Annette Bassett at West Somerville Neighborhood School for “Math Resource Center for Teaching and Learning Mathematics” (1-6)
o Kelly Cronin and Joan McGivney at West Somerville Neighborhood School for “Math Take Home Book Bag Program” (K)
o Sandra Dumas at Brown School for “Mathematics and Literature” (5)
o David Farnsworth, Elizabeth Ticcioni, Audrey Song, Latasha Harris,
Brooke McCaffrey, Laura Berger, Gina Desir and Diane Hurvita at Prospect Hill Academy for “Manipulatives for Developing Number Sense” (K)
o Patrice Hobbs at East Somerville Community School at Edgerly, Unidos for “Classroom Math Library” (3)
o Kathryn Jenks at Prospect Hill Academy, Upper School for “TI-SmartView Computer licenses” (11-12)
o Kelly Miller at Brown School for “Computer Projector” (6)
o Tracy Selig at St. Catherine of Genoa School for “Measuring in Math” (2)
o Celia Taylor at the Healey School for the “9th Annual Kindergarten through Second Grade Family Mathematics Night” (K-2)
o Linda Wiegenfeld at the East Somerville Community School at Edgerly for “Family Math Night” (3-4)
The Somerville Mathematics Fund, an affiliate of the national scholarship organization Dollars for Scholars, was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. In early April, the fund will be seeking applications from students who reside in Somerville for college mathematics scholarships. Copies of the scholarship application form is available at www.somervillemathematicsfund.org For more information, to volunteer or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Erica Voolich (666-0666, evenings, or voolich@aol.com).