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| New KET online math resource takes middle-grades students on virtual road trip |
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KET recently unveiled a new online resource for middle school students and teachers. Scale City: The Road to Proportional Reasoning is an engaging, interactive Web site ( www.scalecity.org) that takes students on a virtual road trip to some interesting — and unusual — Kentucky sites (think built-to-scale dinosaurs and the world’s largest skillet). Along the way, students explore proportional reasoning with an emphasis on the math of scale and scaling. Brief videos form the basis for eight interactive Flash simulations. These interactive exercises (one for each video) encourage students to explore the math introduced in the video and then apply it to problems. Additional resources on Scale City include lesson plans, adaptations and extensions, classroom handouts and activities, vocabulary, resource lists and ideas for incorporating Scale City into instruction. This free resource is accessible online, and CD-Rom versions of the Web site will be sent to Kentucky schools later in the fall. KET recently asked 13 middle-school teachers from around Kentucky to preview the Web site, provide feedback and test at least one lesson with their students this fall. The initial response from these teachers was overwhelmingly positive. “These are wonderful resources that are kid-friendly,” said a Lincoln County Middle School teacher. “I love that proportional reasoning is woven with geometry and measurement ideas and graphing and charting resources.” A teacher from Farnsley Middle School in Jefferson County added, “I love it! I can see using these to reinforce lessons starting in 6th grade and continuing on through 8th grade. I think the kids will love the videos and interactives, and it gives teachers the opportunity to expose our students to other parts of Kentucky.” Several teachers cited the visual appeal for adolescents and the connection to real-world examples of proportional reasoning. Scale City was developed in partnership with Alabama, Arkansas and Maryland public television networks and funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The three partner networks have produced their own online middle grades mathematics resources. Schools nationwide will have free access to all four resources promoted through public television networks.
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