Customer Reviews

25 Real Life Math Investigations That Will Astound Teachers and Students

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This book is EXACTLY what the title says!! These investigations are so amazing and even scary (but good scary). For example, chapter one, the "Nightmare of Payday Loans" shows the danger of short term loans. When I read this chapter I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. This book also gives examples of math mistakes in the media, the futility of depending on corn-based ethanol for energy independence, and even shows how math can guide you in making important decisions (rent to own, teenage drivers, and sub-prime loans). I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to teach the connections between math and the real world.

The cartoons break up the look of the book, making more approachable for children - and adults. The stories/problems are things that we all need to understand to navigate life well. The math is thinking math, not rote.

Zaccarro is an excellent resource but these books are basically huge cartoons with very little print on each page, so if you are using them as a personal resource or as a classroom library resource, they would be great. I just thought it was a lot of paper use for very little--some pages only have a few words on them.