Zoo A Logical Math

The work for this book began with a course I created and taught called Animal Behavior. I always knew that there was a strong magnetic bond between people and animals, but it wasn't until I began working on my curriculum that I truly found out how strong this bond really was. Millions of people, young and old, will visit zoos and aquariums each year. People stand in front of the animals, hypnotized by the every movement of the animal. People seemed to be looking not just at the animal, but almost as if they were looking inside these animals, wondering and questioning about the lives of some of our most distant animal relatives. In my classroom, I found the exact same kinds of responses. The discussions and questions of my students motivated me to share with you the lives and abilities of some of the most amazing living creatures in the world. People realize that humans are also animals, but the belief that we have superior intelligence and problem solving abilities makes us think we are far superior to all of the rest of our Animal World. As I began to learn more and lead my student discussions, I soon realized that maybe our intelligence was the only thing that we really did have in our superiority over the rest of our animal relatives. I began to look into the idea of comparing humans to animals in a wide variety of behaviors and activities, and soon a brand new window into the REAL world of animals began to open up. I soon realized that even the most "insignificant" animals in our world were really superstars when compared to humans. By using math, we are able to truly get a comparison of animals and how they relate to our own human abilities. As I began to create the problems and "do-the-math," it became very evident, that I began to get the responses that I had hoped for. I soon began to call these responses, the "Wow factor." A number of times, the teachers that have worked on the problems would actually go back and do the problems a second time because "there has to be a mistake" or "no way that this can be true." There were no mistakes and the math did not lie. The math allowed us to look at the animals in a totally different way. I hope that you too will be amazed and "wowed" by some of these amazing animals that we share our world with.

The inspiration for this book began when I was teaching a high school class called Animal Behavior. This was an elective Science class that combined Biology, Zoology, Psychology, and Sociology. During the course we would talk about a variety of different animals and the different behaviors that they would exhibit. One of the goals that I would always try to do is show the students how amazing or truly "unbelievable" some of these animals really were. People very seldom think of themselves as being a part of the animal world, and when we do we only think of how we are so superior to all of the rest. I soon realized that when I "put the math" to some of these human-animal comparisons, it was as if a whole new window opened up to the World of Animals. These math problems showed us just how awe inspiring animals really are.

A collection of stories, poems, riddles, games, and hands-on activities focusing on the mathematical aspects of a trip to the zoo.

In this entertaining volume, a class trip to the zoo is the backdrop for introducing and reviewing foundational math concepts such as comparing quantities, sizes, and lengths. Readers will love seeing their favorite animals such as tigers, giraffes, penguins, monkeys, and even a baby koala! They’ll be encouraged to recognize mathematics in similar situations in their own lives.

Students love trying to solve challenging puzzles. So why not build and review their math skills while they're having fun? Math Logic Mysteries requires students to complete math problems and use reasoning to unlock the clues needed to solve matrix-based logic problems. Mathematical skills covered include measurement, number operations, geometry, probability, fractions, decimals, percentages, and algebra. This book includes a detailed how-to section for teaching logic puzzles and an in-depth answer key, so students can understand the thinking process behind each solution. After doing these fun and challenging puzzles, your students will ask for more Math Logic Mysteries! Grades 5-8

All materials covered in this book are from the collection of in-depth mathematical research. Hopefully, the inclusion of such new findings will help to uproot all unnecessary errors and mistakes of the past mathematical literatures and philosophy. Last but not least, hopefully, reading through this book will be a rewarding experience.

Any teacher who has heard students ask, "When are we ever going to use this?" will appreciate this collection of math activities based on the work done in food preparation, medicine, meteorology, personal fitness, and the zoo. Teacher pages set up full instructions for 34 activities driven by reproducible student handouts and correlated to NCTM standards. A workbook containing all the handouts allows teachers to conveniently collect a students work. Grades 5-8. Bibliography. Suggested resources. Answer keys with full solutions. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 154 pages.

Have you ever wondered how long a giraffe's tongue is? To find the answer to this question and many more, join the family in this book on a trip to the zoo. Use objects like cubes and scales to measure how tall, short, big, or small the animals at the zoo are.