Mathematics Professional Series Involving Parents and Communigy — Middle School   Parental Involvement Parents teach their children all the time. They teach language to their infants, and they teach their young children not to talk to strangers. They read to their sons and daughters and, in the process, help them learn how to read and write. They even teach their children how to count and use basic arithmetic facts. But as their sons and daughters reach middle school and high school, many parents are not sure how to proceed with mathematics. Many are intimidated by their own perceived weakness in the subject. Yet most parents want to help their sons and daughters succeed in mathematics so that they may acquire the skills necessary to get a good job. The goal of parental involvement in mathematics is not to teach specific concepts, but to help students develop curiosity and an enthusiasm for solving problems. In the process, parents can extend the learning that takes place in school. You can provide support in three ways: by communicating with parents about what is happening in your classroom, by providing take-home activities for students and parents to complete, and by inviting parents and other members of the community to school to share information with the students. The parents of your students can become your biggest allies in the classroom. How Parents Can Help at Home When parents meet with teachers, they often ask what they can do to motivate their children in mathematics. Here are some things parents can do to build a strong understanding of and confidence in mathematics in their children. Share life experiences and problem-solving strategies with their children. Demonstrate the value of mathematics by having children solve problems that are real and relevant to their lives, such as large item family purchases and the family budget, equitable home task assignments, cost of a college education and financial benefits, and measurement of all kinds. Provide time, space, and the necessary tools for mathematics homework, including a calculator. Encourage their children to join mathematics clubs in school and in the community. Do home mathematics projects that could be developed into projects for science/mathematics fairs. Purchase puzzles, games, books, and models to be used by the entire family. Ask questions that have more than one answer. Show children that there are many ways to solve problems. Have children draw pictures and diagrams to represent problem situations. Monitor children's work and stress the importance of checking homework. Value education and reward accomplishment. Take-Home Activities One of the ways that you can involve parents in the mathematics classroom is to provide challenging, useful mathematics activities that children and parents can do together. Here are two sample activities appropriate for middle school students and their parents. Activity 1: Which Gift Box? Frederick was the president of the Volunteers Club at school. At the end of the year, he and the advisor bought nine gifts for the members of the club. Eight gifts were the same—a special pencil with the club's name on it. One gift, for the secretary, contained both a pen and pencil. Frederick was so eager to wrap the presents that he forgot to label the special gift for the secretary. All of the boxes looked the same, but he knew that the pen and pencil set was heavier than the other gifts. So, he took all of the gifts to the science classroom to use a balance scale to weigh them. Frederick needed to solve his problem quickly because the Volunteers Club meeting was almost ready to begin. How can he find the secretary's gift in the fewest number of weighings? Activity 2: Around and Around Diem was usually a good student in math, but she was confused about the formula for the circumference of the circle. She understood the reasons for the formula of the perimeter of rectangles, but circles were something else. She decided to conduct an experiment to help her understand what really is. Help Diem with her experiment by using some circular items in your home. Make sure that the items are large enough for you to measure. Materials: heavy string or yarn, scissors, ruler, six circular items Use your ruler to measure the diameter of each item. Without stretching the string, wrap the string or yarn around the item and cut the string or yarn the length of the circumference. Measure the string or yarn. Complete the following table for each item. Use your calculator to divide the circumference by the diameter. Item Diameter Circumference Circumference Diameter                                                 What conjecture can you make about the ratio in the fourth column? What do you think this number represents? What does this number tell you about the circumference of a circle? Activity 1 Answer: Frederick can divide the nine boxes into three groups of three boxes each. He can weigh the three piles separately to determine the heaviest pile. Once the heaviest pile of three boxes is determined, he can weigh the three boxes in that pile separately to determine the heaviest box. Activity 2 Answer: 1-3. See students' work. 4. It approximates 3.14159... 5. 6. C = d More Information For more information on how you can include parents and community members in your classroom, see "Involving Parents and the Community in the Mathematics Classroom," part of the Glencoe Mathematics Professional Series.