GeoMath Articulating Geography to Tested Mathematics Skills in Elementary Schools: The Arizona Experience

What is GeoMath? designed for the K-8 classroom 85 “stand alone” lessons that enhance geography learning and practice math skills in contextual situations

Why GeoMath? No Child Left Behind (NCLB) means geography is NOT being taught in most K-6 classrooms Teachers are spending most of the school day teaching reading, writing, and math Teacher pay is tied to student performance Schools are labeled as to “performing” or “underperforming” with rewards and punishments forthcoming Our survey shows that K-6 teachers are spending less than 30 minutes per week on geography in most Arizona classrooms

Why GeoMath? Integration of geography and mathematics means that students will still be learning geography Using geography content can improve student performance on math skills

Who funded the development of the GeoMath Project?

What are some of the features of GeoMath? “Stand Alone” lessons Hands-On activities Real life applications Teacher inspired Everything you need to teach the lessons

What are features unique to GeoMath? Student worksheets Answer keys Student samples Animations Copyright free images Extension ideas Maps and more maps Content rich reading ( National Geographic Society books and current children’s literature ) Assessments

More Specialized Maps Created by the Cartography Department at Arizona State University Primary Level Road Map Bird’s Eye View World Time Zones U.S. Natural Disasters Physical Regions of the U.S. Explorers’ Trails Through AZ

Which AZ school districts piloted the lessons? uBisbee uBlue uCartwright uCatholic Diocese uChandler uCottonwood uDeer Valley uFlagstaff uGilbert uGlendale uHomeschoolers uKingman uKyrene uMadison uMesa uPayson uPeoria uPrivate Schools uRound Valley uSacaton uScottsdale uSierra Vista uSunnyside uTucson uWashington

What kind of students were in the piloting program? 2,671 Students with a Diverse Background (see below) 10% were English Language Learners 31% were from low income families

Does GeoMath teach math? Pre Test Average 46.37% Post Test Average 69.78% Improvement of 23.41%

Does GeoMath teach math? And teachers reported that they felt more comfortable teaching these math skills after the GeoMath lesson.

What kinds of math are being taught? 4Analyzing geographical information using charts and graphs 4Measuring using map scale 4Using stem-and-leaf, box-and- whiskers, and scatter plots to analyze climate information 4Learning about positive and negative numbers using elevation 4Learning shapes and making maps 4Finding tessellations in Moroccan mosaics 4Determining percentages of foreign born Americans and religions in Jerusalem 4Finding measures of central tendency using elevation of the Grand Canyon 4Using ZIP codes to learn about mathematical codes 4Sorting and classifying using U.S. postcards

Does GeoMath teach geography? Over half of students scored 80% or higher level on the assessments provided in the lesson

What sort of technology is needed? Any computer that has a web browser Internet is only needed to access websites which can be additional resources CD is for instructor’s use

How can I get more information? Contact: Gale Olp Ekiss or go to