I really don’t have much more to say about the book. I did find rubric examples helpful. The section on writing comments on student’s
papers was good, but I would have liked more examples of comments such as on
pages 83-4. I have purchased and began reading
the book in the bibliography that pertains to math and science writing. Below is a writing assignment for
Intermediate Algebra. Let me know if you
have any suggestions. Hope everyone is
staying reasonably cool.
Assignment for Intermediate Algebra
The Ancient Greeks believed that all numbers were
rational. They also believed that
the Pythagorean Theorem was
correct. However, when they applied the
Pythagorean Theorem to a right triangle with each leg measuring one unit, they
could not find a rational number for the hypotenuse. This created a contradiction or paradox.
Take the role of an ancient Greek teacher striving to explain
this contradiction to their students. Assume
that the students are not familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem and have only a
vague idea of what is meant by a rational number. Write this with words only; that is, do NOT
use any mathematical symbols or diagrams.
Include the following:
1. what
it means to be a rational number
2. an
explanation of why all numbers must be rational
(We realize that some numbers can be irrational, but you are taking the
role of the Greek teacher who did not believe that irrational numbers existed.)
3. a
description of the Pythagorean Theorem
4. an
explanation of how the Greeks arrived at the irrational number, the square root
of two, when applying the Pythagorean Theorem to the triangle below
5. an
explanation of why this produces a contradiction
| The diagram is a right triangle with two sides labeled one unit and the hypotenuse labeled the square root of two. |
Grading Rubric, 8 points maximum
2 points Each of the five items above are addressed.
2 points Explanations and arguments are clear and
demonstrate an understanding of the concepts involved.
2 points Mathematical terms are employed
correctly. Symbols and diagrams are NOT
used.
2 points Writing
is easy to follow with attention paid to grammar, spelling, punctuation and neatness
.
