Math 195: Mathematics for Elementary Education I

Fall, 2005 - sections A, B

Course Goals: This course targets the mathematics subject matter specialization standard of the Iowa State Teacher Education Standards. It is designed to help you understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of mathematics and prepare you to create learning experiences that make these aspects meaningful for elementary students. At the end of this course, you will have both content and process knowledge. You will have experienced what it means to think mathematically, understand the value of conceptual insight, and appreciate how mathematical knowledge is constructed in an exploratory manner. A detailed list of objectives will be available on the course website.

Course Prerequisites: Satisfactory performance on the placement exam, 2 years of high school algebra, 1 year of high school geometry, enrollment in an early childhood or elementary education program.

Instructor: Dr. Christian Roettger
Office: 472 Carver
Phone: (515) 294-8160
E-mail: / Office Hours:
MWF:1.10-2 pm
or by appointment

Course website:

with mostly static content, plus a WebCT site with all scores, grades, downloads.

Course Materials: Bring these to class beginning with the second class meeting.

Text:Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, 3rd ed., Bassarear

Lab Manual: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers Explorations, 3rd ed., Bassarear (NEW edition required - blue, not red!)

Packet: All students must purchase the Math 195 packet from the University Bookstore.

Other:A 3-ring binder for organizing your exploration responses and homework, a calculator (a basic one is fine), a ruler and a protractor for chapters 8, 9.

Content Covered: Language of sets, systems of whole numbers, numeration, algorithms for computation, topics from number theory, geometric shapes and measurement, congruence, similarity and transformations.

We will be covering much of chapters 1, 2.1, 2.3, 3, 4, 8, 9.1, 9.2, and 10.1 of the text and accompanying explorations from the lab manual. All content covered in class is examinable, whether or not it is in the text. All assigned reading from course materials is examinable as well.

Attendance: The emphasis in this course is on active participation, small group work, the processes of exploration and discovery, and communication of mathematical ideas. Students are expected to attend class daily, participate in and complete all activities, and share in the discussion of assigned problems, readings, and explorations. Due to the laboratory nature of this course, the use of manipulatives in explorations, and the communication component of class, daily attendance is extremely important. More than 3 absences are considered excessive and will result in a deduction of the final grade by .5% for EACH absence beyond three. HOARD YOUR EXCUSED ABSENCES FOR TRUE EMERGENCIES! The only exceptions are a documented serious illness, a University-required event, or jury duty. You are always responsible for all work missed. After more than 3 absences, whether excused or not, you will also be invited to see me for a brief interview.

Explorations/Homework: Explorations from the Explorations manual will generally be completed in class. There are daily homework assignments. Use a 3-ring binder to organize your explorations and homework. Begin each activity on a new page and clearly identify the exploration/assignment, corresponding pages, and problem numbers. Your responses to the explorations and homework will be collected periodically and graded. Late work will not be accepted. One extra-credit homework will be assigned, due the Friday before Dead Week. Grading of homework and explorations will emphasize effort. Make a serious attempt on all problems and show all work.

Portfolio entries: Throughout the course, you will submit portfolio entries which take the place of a project. These will be more substantial than homework problems and may require outside research or reading. They often may be done as part of a group. The entries must be typed. They will be graded for mathematical content, evidence of reflection on your part, presentation, as well as grammar and spelling. Any entry which is not typed will be returned and may be accepted for a late grade.

Exams: Three evening exams and a comprehensive final will be administered during the term. Students missing an exam with an approved, documented excuse will have the appropriate portion of the comprehensive final weighted more heavily to determine their final grade.(Approved excuses include things such as jury duty or illness with a doctor's note.) The three evening exams are scheduled as follows:

Exam I: Monday, 2/6Exam II: Thursday, 3/9Exam III: Tuesday, 4/18

If you are unable to take an evening examination at the scheduled time because of a course conflict or other legitimate reason, you must notify me in advance. Due to the three evening exams, three regular class meetings will be omitted, probably the ones right after the exam.

Computation Quiz: While a calculator is a valuable tool, it is important that elementary teachers be able to both perform simple calculations without a calculator and model for their students appropriate calculator use. Therefore, there will be a no-calculator quiz administered during class, covering multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and long division computations. Fifteen of the total points on the final must be earned on this no-calculator quiz. If you receive 90% or above on the quiz, then you will get the full 15 points on the final. If you do not score at least 90%, you will be given an opportunity to retake the quiz after you have made arrangements to strengthen your skills. There will be a maximum of 3 opportunities to take the quiz.

Grading: The components of the course are weighted, and grades will be assigned as follows:

HW/Explorations16%
Portfolio16% / Exams (3 evening)16% each
Final (including computation quiz)20%

Course grading scale: A 90.00-100%, B 80.00-89.99%, C 70.00-79.99%, D 60.00-69.99%, F 0.00-59.99%. Pluses and minuses will be given.

Note: A grade of C- or better is a prerequisite to enrolling in Math 196. Incompletes will be given rarely and in accordance with university guidelines.

Special Needs: Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become aware of your needs. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office (515-294-6624). DR is located in 1076 Student Services Building.

Academic Regulations as outlined in the University Bulletin are in full effect.