Maths @ Sharp Newsletter June 2020

Dear Friend of Maths @ Sharp,

 

To be quite frank, I’m not entirely sure what point of the year we are in. With all the changes that have happened over the last couple of months, it is hard sometimes not to want to stick my head in the sand and pretend that everything is normal. I mean, there are certain benefits – the coffee at home is better (but only just), and pyjamas have become my new uniform.

I can’t imagine how you must be feeling if you have returned to school. We are facing a new, different sort of normal, and one that is pretty intimidating in certain ways. I’m sure your students are feeling much the same and there are going to be some interesting discussions in the classroom in the weeks ahead.

 

I recently found an article that explains how maths can be used to help in a pandemic

– click here. The article explains how the models are created and how they work to try to predict what will happen with regards to the rate of infections and how these will slow down with different measures – like sanitising your hands as you go into each store. It is an interesting look into what applied maths is used for, and something to encourage your students towards a career in maths.

 

If you are looking for something exciting to do with your students,

Proverto is hosting two online / app-based competitions for grade 8 – 12 learners. Your learners can enter both the financial maths competition or the maths competition. The cost to enter is R25.00 each. Capitec is one of the sponsors so there will be awesome prizes 😉 And of course Sharp will be sponsoring some awesome EL-W535SA calculators as prizes.

The details are:

1) MobiTutorZA GMMDC MATHS Competition Gr 8 – 12 closing date 8 July
Round 1:  15 July                        Round 2:   12 August
Entry Fee: R 25.00

(2) MobiTutorZA Capitec Financial Maths Competition Gr 8 – 12 closing date 29 July
Round 1:  5 August                    Round 2:  14 October
Entry Fee: R 25.00

 Both Competitions will be written using the MobiTutorZA free app.

For more information, email: maths@proverto.co.za or

WhatsApp/SMS  082 45 46 214

 

Cherifield supplies personal protection equipment.

They have some really cute kids face masks and face shields that can be used in the school environment. I’m the kind of person who likes snacking (like all the time – which I’m sure your students do too) so a face shield is so much easier to live with for long periods of time. And you can drink your coffee safely too 😉 Cherifield will also offer bulk discount rates.

   

 

Now that I’ve had some time, we’ve added a couple of worksheets to the website:

• Grade 10 Technical Maths – Trigonometry worksheet
• Grade 12 Maths – Analytical Geometry Worksheet
• Grade 11 Maths – Term 2 Revision Worksheet
• Grade 9 Maths – Geometry of 2D Shapes
• Grade 10 Technical Maths – Circles, Angles and Angular Movement
• Grade 11 Technical Maths – Functions and Graphs: Parabolas, Hyperbolas and Exponential Graphs.

If there is a worksheet that you want but cant find on www.mathsatsharp.co.za then please let me know so that I can add it to my to-do list 😊

 

ZA Learning collaborative

is an online group that is trying to find free resources and help fellow teachers with online learning. You can join them online or via the app. Its basically like Facebook for teachers 😉 But, it’s a great way to connect with teachers from around the country and share your success story or find help with something you are struggling with. Now that conferences are not an option for the foreseeable future, this is a great way to share and network.

 

If you are looking for something to do with your children at home, I’ve spent a couple of hours compiling a list for you (click here to read it). If you have discovered something entertaining that isn’t on the list, please let me know so that I can add it and credit you 😊

 

And, if you are looking for something for you to do

(you know with all that spare time you have lying around 😉), we are going to host a webinar on the 14^th of July on “Using the EL-W535SA scientific calculator for online teaching and self-discovery exercises”. You can sign up here. One of the sign-up questions will ask you what time suits you best so that we can cater to the most participants in the best way possible. We look forward to seeing you there 😊 Please feel free to share with colleagues and friends – the more the merrier!

 

This month’s riddle comes from Popular mechanics and is something fun to try at home with the whole family:

The question: Can you make 100 by interspersing any number of pluses and minuses within the string of digits 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1? You can’t change the order of the digits! So, what’s the least number of pluses and minuses needed to make 100?

 

I am really looking forward to the day when a webinar becomes a face to face interaction and we can drink coffee and eat yummy food and chat about how well we’ve come through all this crazy.

Please stay safe, stay healthy and remember to keep washing your hands.

Yours in maths education,

Tal

 

Ps – I know, I know, this is what you’ve been waiting for 😉 Sometimes its not so great to know how to work this out 😊