A CAROLINA ESSENTIALS ACTIVITY

Don’t Quote Me on That: Math Attitude Card Sort

Total Time

Life Science

Grade Level

9-12 High School

Introduction

It has often been said that mathematics is the language of science. Consequently, science teachers also play the role of mathematics teacher. Using mathematics and logic is a Science Practice common to all Advanced Placement® science courses and the NGSS Dimension 1 Practices. Your student’s preconceived notion about their skills can be as large a stumbling block as the lack of skill mastery itself. This short activity helps students identify their applied mathematics fears, strengths, and weaknesses.

Essential Question

What mathematical skills and fears do students have when applying math to science content?

Activity Objectives:

Determine math skills and weaknesses.
Determine attitudes toward applied math.

Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS)

PE HS-ESS1-4 Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PRACTICES

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEA

DCI: Idea

CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Materials Needed

Recommended Safety

No PPE is required for this activity.

Teacher Prep and Disposal

This activity has 42 cards—38 have quotes conveying attitudes about math and science, and 4 require a written response. Have students sort the cards into 2 piles: agree (this is me) and disagree (this is not me). Consider adding a neutral pile (this doesn’t apply to me at all).

After students have sorted the cards, have them compile and summarize the quotes, then describe their attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. Use the information to tailor your instruction involving math concepts.

Student Procedures

Sort cards into piles: Agree (this is me) Disagree (this is not me)
Compile and summarize the quotes.
Describe math attitudes, strengths, weaknesses, and preconceptions.

Teacher Preparation and Tips

You may also use a third category—neutral (this doesn’t apply to me at all).
Write categories on the board.
Discussion and journaling are ways students can reflect on the card sort results.
Ask students what help they need from you. Ask what type of math instruction works for them.
As a result, try grouping students with varying attitudes/ skills.
Copy and laminate the cards for use with multiple classes.

Data and Observations

Data and Observations
	Land Plant	Aquatic Plant
Shape of leaf	Will vary	Oval and thick or spongy
Number of leaves	Will vary	Probably 2 or 4
Color of leaves	Green	Green
Where roots are attached	Will vary	One per leaf
Number of roots	Will vary	One per leaf
Color of roots	White to cream	White to cream
Shape of stem	Will vary	No stem visible
How leaves are attached to stem	Attached by another short stem, the petiole	N/A
Color of stem	May vary, usually green	N/A
Shape of plant	Taller than broad	Broader than tall
Other observations	Will vary–students should note leaf veins	Will vary

Analysis and Discussion

Student answers will vary.

My attitude toward using math in science is:
My math strengths are:
My math weaknesses are:

Buy the Kit

Students can nurture Wisconsin Fast Plants® through an entire life cycle in only 40 days.

Resources

Helpful Links

We Save You Time

We are committed to providing the lab kits, instructional materials, and often free activities and supporting digital resources that do as much heavy lifting for you as we can.