Math Openers

Author’s Note
Many students in our Christian schools dislike math. “Math was my least favorite subject,” is a common complaint of students. I believe that this distaste for math occurs primarily because math is taught in an abstract, irrelevant way.
This resource is designed to enable teachers to show students the wonder, relevance, and beauty in mathematics by providing teachers with the information needed to craft a 5-to-12 minute opening to math class. They are not intended as a read-aloud.
Each math opener has an appropriate grade level suggested. However, it is beneficial to expose younger students to higher math ideas and to remind older students of what they have learned previously.
The math openers are divided into several different types:
* Worldview: God is the Author of math. These openers take a look at the connection between God and math.
*Connection: We encounter math all around us in day-to-day life. These openers attempt to show how numbers intersect with our lives.
*History: We have lost many of the stories of those who developed the mathematical techniques and theorems we use. Telling the stories of the beginnings of, and reasons for, formulas and methods helps students understand math more fully.
*Wonder: Math is beautiful. Many patterns are evident in math if we just take the time to look. These openers are designed to expose the wonder which math allows us to see.
*Puzzles: Math often requires thinking outside the box. Puzzles force students to think critically and creatively in order to solve problems.
The order given in this resource is not intended to be a suggested order for use. In fact, I would suggest saving the deeper philosophical and theological openers for later in the year. Pick and choose openers as they fit with subject material or according to what seems to fascinate your students.
May your students worship God through math!