MISS NEUMANS
THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM
From Miss Neuman,
Hello parents, our third grade crew is doing fantastic in the classroom
and progressing very well in math. They have enjoyed learning during
every lesson, activity, and project we have completed within the
classroom! We have been working on naming and identifying different
polygons around the school and the classroom and will start to
incorporate calculators in this process. Your student will have the
chance to measure and add up each side of a polygon using a
calculator! This will help them get familiar with calculators and how to
use them!
Table of Contents
Information about NCTM ------------------------------> Page 2
The Debate -----------------------------------------> Page 2
The NCTM calculator viewpoint -------------------------> Page 2
Calculator pros --------------------------------------> Page 3
Calculator Cons -------------------------------------> Page 3
Calculator use in the classroom ----------------> Page 4
Miss Neuman’ calculator thoughts------------> Page 4
At Home activities ----------------> Page 5
Resources -----------------------> Page 6
INFORMATION ABOUT NCTM
NCTM, also known as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, is
one of the biggest organizations associated with mathematics in the world
and consists of 70,000 members and 230 affiliates around the world. This
organization was created in 1920 and strives to provide beneficial resources,
equity, and opportunities for a beneficial math education. They advocate for
both teachers and students in making sure all aspects of teaching and
learning are being met in a high-quality manner. When partnering with this
organization building, strengthening, and collaborating in the classroom
community will be met.
The Debate The NCTM Calculator
Calculators are a big resource used in schools
and there is a lot of debate surrounding this from
Viewpoint
parents, teachers, friends, etc. Some people Pertaining to the viewpoint of the NCTM, they
believe that calculators do not deserve a place in highly suggest using calculators in the classroom
the classroom (calculator critics) while others andYou
think had your first
they should math
be used test!They
regularly.
believe it is a beneficial tool in the classroom believe that we as teachers in the school should
environment (calculator champions). Started working on our first
be educating ourselves about calculators and
askingreading unit
when to use them instead of turning them
Going back to the calculator critics, they feel away.
having calculators in the classroom will decrease How to paint mountain
the students ability to do tasks on their own. This According
How to to the NCTM,
plant seedscalculators also
is because they would rely on the calculator to encourage the use of reasoning skills, stimulate
do the work for them. Another factor on this side higher-order thinking, and aid in the teaching of
of the debate is the lack of knowledge behind mathematical operations (Should Calculators Be
mathematical concepts because research won’t Used in K-12 Math Education, 2016). Conceptual
be necassary if the calculator is within arms competence was another thing NCTM wanted
reach. The last point from this side is giving schools to consider when hindering instead of
students false hope in their ability to do their encouraging calculators. This is because, students
math problems. Students believe they did it will have the ability to recall what they did for their
correctly if the calculators are always giving work when solving problems by looking back at
them the answers. what they put into the calculator. They also touch
on the importance of “balance” with calculators in
Now, for calculator champions, they feel there the classroom as there can still be work done
can be a balance between using and not using a between electronic aids as well as paper and
calculator (The Great Debate: The Role of pencil problems.
Calculators in Math Education, 2017). In addition,
confidence in math abilities is boosted with Lastly, to build on to the NCTM support for
calculators because the students can check their calculators, they said, “all students learn to use
work right away. Another point from the the computer as a tool for processing
champion side is the increased development of information and performing calculations to
number sense. Lastly, having calculator use will investigate and solve
provide tasks that are simple while being in the problems” (NCTM, 1920).
process of understanding methods that will help
to solve problems.
CALCULATOR PRONS AND
CONS
To build onto the debate of calculator use in schools, here are some pros and cons pertaining to
calculators in the classroom to better explain both the calculator critics and the calculator champions
side.
P R O S
Increase calculation accuracy to benefit students and if they
have correct answers.
Increase the use of higher order thinking and promote problem
solving for complex problems.
Give students the chance to look at math in a positive
viewpoint.
Gain knowledge of patterns like geometric, algebraic,
and numeric.
The students are still writing down their work but are
using calculators as a back up checker for their
arithmetic work. (Pros and Cons of Calculations, 2019)
C O N S
Math skills are not properly developed or developed at all.
Calculators can be a hefty cost and range between $10 to $100.
Paper and pencil methods for problem solving will start to
decrease because students will think they can do all work on a
calculator.
If students receive fraction problems, they will only keep their
answers or their work in decimal form.
Students will believe that calculator answers on the first try of
solving will always be correct instead of double checking.
(Pros and Cons of Calculations, 2019)
CALCULATOR USE IN THE CLASSROOM
With calculators as a daily resource in the classroom,
they can be used a variety of ways with one of those ways
being for place value. When students are learning place value
they can do an activity with the calculator where they are building
numbers. By doing this, the students are determining the correspondence
the the place value with the number.
Another calculator use is a puzzle with calculator patterns and
this is done when students take a base number and keep adding to it to
build a pattern, an example of this would be 2, 5, 10, or 100 (Using Calculators
in Elementary Math Teaching).
The last activity that can be done in the classroom will be with polygons that
the students are learning. With different sized polygons the students will take
a ruler and measure each side of the polygon in inches. After the student
measure and write down their number for each side, they will take a
calculator and use addition to add up each side. When they
measure and add this will help them determine what size each of
the polygons are.
MISS NEUMAN’S CALCULATOR THOUGHTS
When it comes to my viewpoints on calculators and if they should be used in the classroom, I
believe they should but in a reasonable manner. What I mean by this is, your child as well as
other students will be given the chance to use calculators but only when I feel it is appropriate
and when it will benefit them during their school work. This does not mean I am restricting them
of use as they can ask to use them anytime but I will be mindful when they do ask. If they would
like to use a calculator they will be asked to still write their work on a piece of paper so they are
able to see how they should solve the problem. Calculators are very beneficial in the classroom
when it comes to helping students find their correct answers and solve their work, but everyone
in my classroom will still be encouraged to develop knowledge and know how to use different
math methods.
While you may not agree on this and do not wish to see or have your child using a calculator,
technology is constantly evolving so I do not see calculators leaving the schools anytime soon.
That is why I believe I have to work with what I have and try to include it into the curriculum I am
teaching to your child as well as other students in the classroom. While I understand that people
think calculators hurt students, it all comes down to how I will handle the use of them as the
teacher. If I provide balance to my students between calculator use and paper and pencil use,
then they will still have the ability to check their problems while also writing out their work.
Calculators will not be used to play with and frequent observing will help to implement that.
Lastly, if you have any concerns for your child about calculators I would be happy to discuss
them and share any more information you would like about the calculator use.
At Home Activities
Provided below will be a variety of activities that you can do with your child at home to help
them use and get familiar with calculators while also having fun!
Activity 1: Beat the Calculator
You will need: Instructions:
A calculator This activity is an activity where you work in pairs.
Cards with math problems on them You and your child can do this activity together.
One person will have a calculator while the other
will not and the cards you have will go face down
on the table so you don’t see the problem.
After they are face down, one person will flip a card
over.
When they flip the card over, each person
individually will work on solving the problem.
One player will find the answer with a calculator
while the other will solve it mentally.
If the person with the calculator gets the answer
first, they can say they are done but wait to share
their answer until the other player is done.
Each correct answer is one point and you have to
(Here are some examples of cards that you can be
printed and cut out to use) get up to 20 points to win.
Activity 2: Is the right range?
You will need: Instructions:
A calculator Between the two players, player 1 will roll both the
2 x 10-sided dice dice. When they roll the dice, they will keep their
A playing board numbers in mind and find it on the playing board. For
example, if they roll a 6 and 4 they would look at the
numbers next to them which would be 752 and 228.
Once player 1 has their numbers they will add them
up to find the answer. When they find the answer,
they will look at the range section on the playing
board to determine which range their answer falls in.
For example, 752 + 228= 980 so the range would be
900-1099.
Continuing on, player 2 will take the calculator and
add up the same numbers that player 1 rolled. If both
player 1 and player 2's answers match and are in the
same range, then player 1 will score a point.
This same process will happen with player 2 rolling
the dice and player 1 using the calculator to check.
(Here is an example of the playing board that can be The person who gets 5 points first wins.
used for the activity.)
Here is the link to the activities website if you would like more information about them:
[Link]
games/#:~:text=Beat%20the%20calculator&text=Students%20play%20in%20pairs.,extended%20facts%20and%20a%20calculat
or.&text=One%20player%20flips%20over%20a,works%20out%20the%20sum%20mentally.
RESOURCES
Bethany. (2024, February 27). The great debate: The role of calculators in math education. Math Geek
Mama. [Link]
Calculators and computers
[Link]
0Classroom&text=Thus%2C%20NCTM%20recommends%20expanded%20use%20of%20comput
ers%20and%20calculators%20in%20schools.&text=All%20students%20learn%20to%20use,to%2
0investigate%20and%20solve%20problems.
Cavanagh, S. (2020, December 1). NCTM elaborates on position on the use of calculators in
classrooms. Education Week. [Link]
position-on-the-use-of-calculators-in-classrooms/2005/06
Educators Battle Over Calculator Use: Both Sides Claim Casualties. Education World. (n.d.).
[Link]
MacArthur, L. (n.d.). Pros and cons of calculators. Pros And Cons Of Calculators.
[Link]
NCTM. (n.d.). [Link]
at a Glance [Link]
Should calculators be used in K-12 education?. SchoolMart. (2020, December
28). [Link]
Using calculator in elementary math teaching. (n.d.).
[Link]
[Link]#:~:text=Place%20value%20activity%20with%20a,in%20the%20hundreds%20
place%3B%20etc.
