Discussion of Calculator Use in Elementary School Mathematics
Calculator
use in elementary school mathematics is widely misunderstood by some folks who
are not involved in daily mathematics instruction. After all, always allowing
students to use calculators instead of their brains to perform mathematical computations
seems wrong. That particular use of calculators is wrong! Calculator use
in Everyday Mathematics is not involved with that practice in any way. Calculators
are used very intentionally rather than carelessly or without justifiable
reason. Some of the many ways calculators are used are listed by mathematical
standard and then grade level below:
3rd Grade Usage
Finding complements,
memory, place-value puzzles, repeat key, riddles, routines, skills, skip
counting, extending a pattern, skip counting by large numbers, seeing
relationships between values of each place, counting aloud by tenths.
4th Grade Usage
Divisibility,
fraction-decimal conversions, fraction-percent conversions, games,
multiplication checks, place value.
Everyday Math explanation of calculator usage, Grade
4, Volume 1, Unit 3, p. 144:
Calculators
are used in this unit for games such as Beat the Calculator and Broken
Calculator. In Beat the Calculator, students quickly realize that their brains
are much more efficient than their calculators when finding a product like 7 *
3. In Broken Calculator, students pretend, for example that the minus keys on
their calculators are broken and then devise strategies to solve such problems
as 2,421 874 = n. Calculator usage is also encouraged as students work on the
World Tour project.
However, the no-calculator icon (see margin) does appear on many journal pages,
including those on solving number stories and Math Boxes pages in which the
intention is to encourage practice with algorithms for adding and subtracting
numbers. Teachers alert students to watch for the icon.
Note: If your students have Texas Instruments TI-15 calculators, they can use
them to practice math facts. When the TI-15 is put into Arithmetic Training
mode, it automatically generates problems for the user to answer. This feature
of the TI-15 is discussed in the calculator section of the teachers reference
Manual and on Math Masters, pages 476 and 477.
5th Grade Usage
Basic fact
games, divisibility checks, square root, exponents and scientific notation,
rounding decimals in statistical data, generate random numbers in Division Dash
game, interpret remainders in context, check answers in 1 to 100 game, adjust
for special needs learners, convert non-common fractions to decimals and
decimals to percents, decimal equivalents for fractions, finding percents from
a frequency table, negative numbers and order of operations, place value
puzzles, circumference and area of a circle, volume and surface area of a prism,
cone, and pyramid, represent rates with formulas, tables, and graphs, probability
and tree diagrams, ratio number stories, calculating heart rate for 1 hour, day
and year (large numbers), calculating cardiac output (large numbers).
5th Grade Lessons
1.3*
optional used in game, Beat the Calculator
1.4* optional
- used in game, Beat the Calculator
1.5 checking
for divisibility
1.6* optional
- used in game, Beat the Calculator
1.8 experimenting
with the square root key on the calculator
1.9 -
exponents
2.1* -
optional - used in game, Beat the Calculator
2.5 rounding
decimals in statistical data
4.1 used
in game, Division Dash to generate random numbers, NOT FOR CALCULATION
4.5* optional
interpret remainders in context
4.6 check
answers only in game, First to 100, NOT FOR
CALCULATION
4.7 same
as above lesson 4.6
5.1* optional
used to adjust activity for special needs students
5.7 find
decimal equivalents for fractions and discuss meaning
5.8 - convert
fractions to decimals, decimals to percents and discuss meaning
5.10* optional
for enrichment convert 17/28 to a decimal
5.11* optional
for enrichment finding decimal equivalents for sevenths and eighths,
converting bar graphs to circle graphs
6.1 for
adjusting the activity for large number enrichment with mean (average)
6.6 find
percents from a frequency table
7.3*
optional enrichment for scientific notation with large numbers
7.5*
optional teacher discretion re: order of operations
7.10
negative numbers on a calculator
8.4 using
the fraction operations on a calculator
8.6 writing
calculator sequences to solve place-value puzzles
8.9* one
of several options taught in finding percent of discount
8.10* optional
same as above lesson 8.9
8.11*
optional examine populations on maps and charts, use percents to estimate
populations
9.3 explore
negative numbers, decimals, and fractions on a calculator
9.7* - optional
weeklong project working with only 4s and any operation on the calculator to
create expressions for values from 1 100. (square
root, 4°, factorials, and order of operations)
10.4 represent
rates with formulas, tables, and graphs
10.5 unclear
usage, not mentioned or obvious in lesson
10.8
calculating circumference with pi
10.9
calculating area of a circle using a formula
10.10 assessment
review
11.1 circumference
and area review
11.3
finding volume of cylinders
11.4
finding volume of pyramids and cones
11.7
calculating surface area of prisms, cylinders, and pyramids
12.2
probability and tree diagrams
12.5
ratio number stories
12.6 calculating
heart rate for 1 hour, day and year (large numbers)
12.8
calculating cardiac output (large numbers)
12.9* American
Tour culmination; unclear use, must be optional calculator use
Key to
symbols on the calculator use spreadsheet:
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HM =
Houghton Mifflin |
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HB =
Harcourt Brace |
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S = Saxon |
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SF/AW =
Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley |
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SF =
Scott Foresman |
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GwM = Growing with Mathematics |
Data on lessons including use of a calculator for the remaining textbooks is
currently being collected. Data will be included as it comes in.
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Lessons
Using Calculators - Elementary Math |
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EDM |
1.3* |
1.4* |
1.5 |
1.6* |
1.8 |
1.9* |
2.1* |
2.5 |
2.1 |
4.1 |
4.5* |
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SF/AW |
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GwM |
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EDM |
4.6 |
4.7 |
5.1* |
5.7 |
5.8 |
5.10* |
5.11* |
6.1 |
6.6 |
7.3* |
7.5* |
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SF/AW |
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SF |
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GwM |
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EDM |
7.1 |
8.4 |
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8.6 |
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8.9 |
8.10* |
8.11* |
9.3 |
9.7* |
10.4 |