PAGE ONE-

Calculators are here to

help!
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PAGE TWO -
NCTM & NCTMS view
on calculators
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PAGE THREE –
Pros and cons & Miss
Porters view on
Hello Porter family! calculators
Important ────
announcements
PAGE FOUR –
for my 6th grade
algebra class. Parents corner &
activities to do with
calculators
────
Now that my students have begun to get bigger equations
the school is offering to give each student one Texas PAGE FIVE –
Instruments Ti-84 Plus Ce Graphing calculators. They
Resources
will be given this calculator after they sign that they will
take care of them, and if they break it, they will pay the
Don’t forget to sign up
school for a new calculator. The students are more than
welcome to bring a calculator from home, but these for the calculators!
calculators are very effective for this class and are free. Call or email for any
As you know, your sixth graders have just begun our questions!
Computation and Estimation part of the sol. They will be
doing task such as multiply and divide fractions and
mixed numbers, solve single-step and multistep practical Keep in touch!
problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division of fractions and mixed numbers, and solve (757) – 995 – 4515
multistep practical problems involving addition, 517paigeporter@gmail.com
subtraction, multiplication, and division of decimals.
Office Hours:
School beings handing the calculators out March 15,
1|Page Monday – Thursday
1:30 – 4:00
How does NCTM feel
about calculators?

Student learning of mathematical

concepts, processes, operations, and
procedures is advanced when
calculators are used for a pedagogical
purpose that goes beyond drill and
practice or checking work (Ellington,
2003). Calculator use should be
implemented strategically in ways that
support the development of problem-
solving skills. When used effectively
to support problem solving,
calculators enable students to engage NCTM Position
with cognitively rich problems that
address exploration of patterns and
relationships (Reys & Arbaugh,
2001). o Strategic use of technology in the teaching
and learning of mathematics is the use of
Access to calculators does not negate
the need for students to develop digital and physical tools by students and
paper-and-pencil and mental methods. teachers in thoughtfully designed ways and
Rather, when used appropriately,
calculators play a key role in at carefully determined times so that the
developing students' fluency with capabilities of the technology enhance how
numbers and operations and
estimation skills. Further, strategic use students and educators learn, experience,
of calculators supports an effective communicate, and do mathematics.
learning environment that strengthens
a positive view of mathematics
(Ellington, 2003). o Technology must be used in this way in all
NCTM's Principles to Actions (2014) classrooms to support all students’ learning
identifies appropriate tools and of mathematical concepts and procedures,
technology, including calculators in
the elementary grades, as essential including those that students eventually
elements in the classroom to aid
students in making sense of
employ without the aid of technology.
mathematics and reasoning
mathematically. Strategic use of
calculators in the elementary grades
supports students in communicating o Strategic uses support effective teaching
mathematically and making necessary
connections across mathematics practices and are consistent with research
concepts and procedures and in real- in teaching and learning.
world situations.

(July 2015)

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 Pros and cons of calculators in the
classroom & Miss Porters thoughts
on calculators.

Pros Cons
Stressed and/or do
poorly in
Make difficult
situations where
computations
they aren’t
much easier.
allowed to use
calculators

Different
Technology is
standardized tests
huge and learning
allow for different
how to use such
types of
technology is huge
calculators.

Save time on
computations can
help students focus
more on the new
concepts and less on
tediously working
though computations.

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 Miss Porter’s view bubble!
Using the Calculator in
Overall, I think that a calculator’s benefits outweigh the
negatives; it really depends on how the students are taught to our classroom.
deal with them. If the functions of the calculator are
extensions of a student’s knowledge and not a replacement for
it, they are extremely helpful machines. This can be achieved
Each table there will be a baggie filled with
by practicing both with and without a calculator. My AP
Calculus teacher gave tests that had calculator sections and fractions and mixed numbers. Each table
non-calculator sections. Because of this, my classmates and I group will move to all the tables
became adept at solving problems with or without a clockwise in five-minute increments. The
calculator. Research tends to agree that calculators are students will then use their calculators to
beneficial teaching tools. Throughout the years, many studies
see the pattern and put the fractions and
have been performed displaying the positive outcomes of
calculator integration in the classroom. Hopefully, future mixed numbers least to greatest.
studies will give more insight into the specific “conditions,
resources, and contexts needed to maximize the degree to
which calculator use can enhance the teaching and learning of
mathematics” (Ronau et al., 2011).

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 Hey Parents! Don’t forget to try out these fun calculator
activities!

Secret Number 21 Bust

One player thinks of a secret number between 1 and 100
Their partner “guesses” by keying in a number on the
calculator
The first player may only answer higher or lower
The person with the calculator adds or subtracts a number to
find the secret number
See how many guesses it takes to work out the number
Players start at 0 and take turns to add 1, 2, or 3 to the
number
The player forced to reach 21 loses the game
The game can be adapted by starting at 21 and subtraction
1, 2 or 3 until one player reaches zero.

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6|Page
 Resources
Calculator use in elementary grades - national council of teachers of mathematics. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-
Statements/Calculator-Use-in-Elementary-Grades/

Education, V. (n.d.). Mathematics. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/mathematics/index.shtml

Importance of calculators. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2021, from

https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Importance-of-Calculators-P37EQJ293RZYS

Madison. (2015, October 04). The pros and cons of calculators in the classroom. Retrieved
March 14, 2021, from https://irrationalityblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/15/the-pros-and-
cons-of-calculators-in-the-classroom/

The pros and cons of using calculators for calculations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2021, from
https://www.myprivatetutor.my/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-calculators-for-
calculations

Top 3 Fun calculator games. (2014, October 02). Retrieved March 14, 2021, from
https://topnotchteaching.com/lesson-ideas/calculator-games/

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