Lesson
Materials (word document)
Essential
Questions: What does the amount of money spent
on education in different counties in New York State depend
on?
Description:
This is a math lesson designed to encourage student understanding
that there exists a mathematical relationship between median
income and per pupil expenditure in New York State. It allows
students to examine the data from 7 counties and make connections
between the amount of money spent per pupil and other factors
such as median family income, race, attendance and percentage
of college-bound students. It reinforces the mathematical
concepts of independent and dependent variables, trends
of best fit and graphing while encouraging students to use
mathematics calculations as evidence when advocating for
a more fair funding system.
Obiectives:
Students will be able to:
-
Plot points and create graphs from a set of data
-
Analyze the mathematical fairness of the NY State funding
formula
- Determine
the equation of the trend model of best fit for the data
given.
-
Identify independent and dependent variables.
Students
will know and understand:
-
That there exists a mathematical relationship between
median income and expenditure per pupil;
- That
mathematical modeling will help to illustrate the inequity
in school funding.
NY
State Mathematics Standards (from www.nysed.gov):
Standard 1: Students will use mathematical
analysis as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers,
and develop solutions.
Standard 2: Students will access, generate,
process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Standard 3: Students will understand mathematics
and become mathematically confident by communicating and
reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real
world settings, and by solving problems through data analysis.
Students
will:
-
Represent problem situations symbolically by using algebraic
expressions and graphs;
-
Understand and apply ratios, proportions, and percents
through a wide variety of hands on explorations;
-
Model real world situations with the appropriate function;
-
Use computers and graphing calculators to analyze mathematical
phenomena; and
-
Describe and represent patterns and functional relationships
using tables, charts and graphs, algebraic expressions,
rules, and verbal descriptions.
Standard
7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking
skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address
real-life problems and make informed decisions.
Lesson
Length: 3 periods
Suggested
Grade Level: 9 – 12
Materials:
Chart paper, graph paper, pencils, rulers, TI 83 calculator
or above (optional), "The
State of Learning" in New York (pdf file), copies
of handout: "Who Gets
a Fair Share?"
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Subject
Areas:
Math
Grade Levels: 9-12
About
the teacher:
Erica
Litke is in her 3rd year at East Side Community
HS where she teaches 12th grade math and economics. She
holds a BA in Mathematics and English from Oberlin College
and an ED. M in Administration, Planning and Policy from
the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While at Harvard,
she worked closely with the Partnership for after school
education, working at and running after school programs
in Boston and the Bronx.
Before becoming a teacher, Erica was Program Director for
National Dance Institute, an arts education organization
that works with the NYC public schools. She continues to
dance and perform, and teaches a tap class after school
at East Side. Erica was a 2003 recipient of the Fund for
Teachers Grant, allowing her to spend the sum studying Spanish
and traveling in Ecuador.
erical43@yahoo.com
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