Videos

Videos have the advantage of showing mathematics content in action, and they can be a valuable resource for instruction. When a teacher has the opportunity to view another teacher’s classroom, he or she can benefit from seeing teaching strategies that work and how they look in practice. Similarly, when students see mathematics at work in real-life situations, they can relate better to the mathematics concepts involved.

The videos listed in this section can be used in one of three ways:

to be shown directly to students
to deepen teachers’ content knowledge
to model the teaching of mathematics concepts.

Videos and Web links are current as of February 2004.

Annenberg/CPB Videos-Teaching Math: A Video Library, K-4 (1997)
This series of videos shows how the NCTM standards are used in elementary classrooms across America: small, large, rural, suburban, and inner-city. The entire series contains 52 video programs, but the 11 related to geometry and measurement (described below) can be ordered individually by calling 1-800-LEARNER. Videos range from 15 to 30 minutes in length. For more information visit http://www.learner.org.

Balloon Travel is an integrated mathematics/science lesson, in which second- and third-graders collect data to answer questions such as, “What is the farthest a balloon can travel before falling?” To answer the question, they must understand distance, volume, capacity, and time. NCTM standards addressed: measurement, estimation, connection, problem solving.

Circumference/Diameter includes reviewing the meaning of radius, diameter, center, and circumference with fourth-graders. Students work in teams to measure circular objects throughout the room. They are then challenged to find the relationship between the circumference and the diameter. NCTM standards addressed: geometry and spatial sense, measurement, connections, reasoning.

How Long is a Minute? shows first-graders observing the second hand of a clock and counting by fives as they watch the second hand rotate for one minute. Students do 15-second trials of three activities and estimate how many times the activities can be done in a minute. To determine the time measurements, students use mental math strategies like skip counting. NCTM standards addressed: measurement, estimation, reasoning, connections.

Meter Cords models how third- and fourth-graders use linear measurement in learning about decimals. Students measure different items with a meter divided into 10 parts and then learn to write their measurements using decimal notation. NCTM standards addressed: measurement, fractions and decimals, connections, communications.

Pattern Blocks portrays second-graders learning the mathematical terms for pattern-block pieces: hexagon, trapezoid, square, triangle, and rhombus. Ideas about fractions emerge as students spot size relationships between shapes. NCTM standards addressed: geometry and spatial sense, number sense and numeration, reasoning, connections.

Pencil Box Staining challenges fourth-graders with the task of finding out how much stain to buy from the hardware store. Students encounter problems as they work with many mathematical ideas in the context of a real application. Students work in groups with pencil box pieces and a ruler, calculator, and instruction sheet. NCTM standards addressed: measurement, fractions and decimals, problem solving, reasoning.

A Rocket Shape reveals how second- and third-graders subdivide a square to recreate a rocket shape. After completing their rockets, they reconvene as a class to discuss their difficulties and problem-solving strategies. NCTM standards addressed: geometry and spatial sense, measurement, problem solving, reasoning.

Shapes from Squares depicts an activity in which a second/third-grade class develops spatial sense as they subdivide and change squares to create different shapes. The language of geometry-square, trapezoid, hexagon, etc.-grows naturally from their explorations. NCTM standards addressed: geometry and spatial sense, communication, reasoning.

Thanksgiving Quilt shows how first graders, by creating quilt squares from construction paper, develop spatial sense as they discuss and handle different shapes. They connect geometric ideas to number ideas as they cut squares into congruent triangles. NCTM standards addressed: geometry and spatial sense, patterns and relationships, communication, connections.

This Small House presents second- and third-graders using calculators, paper and pencil, and mental math within a realistic task. Students plan the decorating of their milk carton houses using spatial sense to select appropriate furnishings while staying within their allocated budget. NCTM standards addressed: whole number computation, geometry and spatial sense, connections, communication.

Windows, Dinos, and Ants pictures first graders using standard and non-standard units to measure ant farm tunnels, dinosaurs, and the length from the classroom window to the playground. As they work in groups, students communicate and make connections. They use their heights to measure the length of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. NCTM standards addressed: measurement, number sense and numeration, problem solving, reasoning.

Marilyn Burns Tapes
These video programs feature classroom lessons and cover a variety of topics to help teachers and administrators implement the NCTM standards. Teacher’s guides are included, which facilitate the use of these resources for staff development and in-service workshops. Available from Dale Seymour Publications (Pearson Learning Center) at 1-800-872-1100.

Mathematics: With Manipulatives is a series of six 20-minute videotapes for K-6 staff development. In each videotape Marilyn Burns shows how to use specific manipulatives. The titles of the tapes are: “Pattern Blocks,” “Cuisenaire Rods,” “Base Ten Blocks,” “Geoboards,” “Color Tiles,” and “Six Models (Unifix® Cubes, Multilink Cubes, Color Cubes, Tangrams, Attribute Blocks, and Two-Color Counters).”

Mathematics: What Are You Teaching My Child? is an engaging 20-minute video program that addresses mathematics issues that are vital to teachers, families, and students. Topics include why paper and pencil computational proficiency isn’t enough; how to integrate manipulatives into the classroom to help implement the NCTM standards; collaborative learning; the role of problem-solving and reasoning skills; and how to build parental understanding and support for a mathematics curriculum. This is an excellent resource for parent outreach programs as well as in-service and pre-service education for grades K-12.

Mathematics: Assessing Understanding is a series of three videos that look at how the interview can be used to assess student understanding.

Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land
This classic Disney video follows Donald Duck through a journey of discovery of the diversity and value of mathematics. Teachers and students love this animated, humorous video that shows the magic side of mathematics. Available at many libraries.

The Fantastic World of M. C. Escher
This video reveals the intrigue of how M. C. Escher’s artwork seems to weave magically and transform from one form into another. This 50-minute video provides a sense of what the man behind the art was all about. Included are first-person accounts from the artist’s friends, computer-animated recreations of Escher’s work, and views of his sources of inspiration in Italy and Spain. Available from http://www.amazon.com.

How Do You Spell Parallel? Visiting Middle School Math (1997)
In this 19-minute video, two seventh-grade teachers and one sixth-grade teacher discuss and model changes teachers are making in instruction. Students are actively involved and motivated by real-life examples. The teachers explain a geometry project, use hands-on activities, communicate concepts, and connect geometry to other mathematical topics. Available from the Mathematics and Science Education Center, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (101 SW Main St., Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204) at 503-275-9500.

Math Monsters Videotape Series: 2. Standard and Non-standard Measurement and 5. Geometry
These two videos in the series can be useful to introduce or reinforce topics and allow students to be actively involved. Available at http://www.mathmonsters.com.

PBS Mathline: Elementary School Math Project
The Elementary School Math Project (ESMP), for teachers K-5, features video lessons modeling the teaching of mathematical concepts. It shows how these concepts can be developed over time in the classroom and provides a forum for discussing issues relating to teaching at the elementary level. Available under the TeacherLine section at http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/math.htm.

Geometry and Spatial Relations: ESMP Tape Four (#VC1574) includes three different activities:

“Tessellations WOW!” (grade 1)-Identifying and using shapes such as sponge designs, crackers, and other applications to create tessellations (22 minutes).
“Sidewalk Capers” (grade 3)-Exploring spatial relationships of various shapes that tessellate and have the same area (28 minutes).
“Mirror, Mirror” (grade 5)-Using spatial reasoning and angle measure to determine which regular polygons will tessellate (29 minutes).

Geometry and Spatial Relations: ESMP Tape Five (# VC1575) is divided into three parts:

“It’s a Perfect Fit,” part 1-Identifying, describing, and classifying two-dimensional shapes (27 minutes).
“It’s a Perfect Fit,” part 2-Identifying and describing numerical relationships among pattern block shapes (16 minutes).
“It’s a Perfect Fit,” Part 3-Combining geoblocks to make three-dimensional shapes (17 minutes).

Measurement: ESMP Tape Six (# VC1576) features three sections:

“Sand Babies” (grade 1)-Measuring the weight of students when they were born, their present height, and the area of their feet (24 minutes).
“Bubble Mania” (grade 3)-Measuring the diameter, circumference, and the area of circles made by a bubble print (23 minutes).
“It Takes Ten” (grade 5)-Estimating and measuring through a variety of lab experiences (26 minutes).

TIMSS CD: Teaching Mathematics in Seven Countries (1999)
This is a four-CD set that includes videos from eighth grade mathematics lessons in seven countries: Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. As a component of the TIMSS 1999 video study, the CDs are intended for use by professional developers and district administrators in order to conduct professional development with teachers. The software, designed by LessonLab, Inc., offers numerous features to enhance the study of these lessons. The features include subtitles of each video, user-friendly maneuvering within each video, transcripts of the lessons, commentary by observers, and an index of key points in the lessons. The CDs are compatible with Macintosh and Windows. The CDs are for sale at http://www.rbs.org/catalog/pubs/pd57.shtml.

TIMSS Videotape: Classroom Study (1995)
This video survey of eighth-grade mathematics lessons in Germany, Japan, and the United States is the first attempt to collect videotaped records of classroom instruction from nationally representative samples of students, aimed at improving student learning in school. For more information visit http://isc.bc.edu/. Available free of charge from the National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Dept. of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DE 20006).

Video 5: Geometry (2001)
This teacher-to-teacher video presents concepts of lines and angles, midpoints and bisectors, classification of angles, diagonals and angles of polygons, congruency, lines and planes in space, prisms, and pyramids. The teacher explains terms clearly and models the solving of related problems. The latter part of the video shows the use of the SAS and SSS congruence theorems. The video provides an excellent, quick review of basic geometric concepts. Available through Prentice Hall Publishers.

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