The cost of The Number Devil from Barnes and Noble (Punch Out) is $611, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I wanted to cry when I graded that test. The problem was algebra. This specific problem was quite complicated and in depth. It required multiple steps and some abstract thinking. Students successfully navigated the problem, all the way until the very end. They correctly got to 5x = 35, divided by 5, and got…x = 5. All the complex algebra skills they learned are negated by the fact that they do not know their multiplication tables. It is hard to put into words how frustrating this is for both teacher and students.
The majority of students entering the ninth grade at our public high school in the Bronx received exit scores from eighth grade placing them below, or significantly below grade level in both math and literacy. They came in to the ninth grade lacking basic skills to help them conquer abstract concepts like algebra and trigonometry. Many of them manage to learn the algebra despite their disadvantage, only to be met with failure from simple arithmetic problems.
As students at a “school in need of improvement” in the Bronx, my students must make due with the resources available. For our ninth grade classroom, that means the standard textbook. However, this book is meant for students who are starting on grade level, not for students who still struggle to subtract two-digit numbers in their head. My students need a text to help them learn number sense while experiencing some enjoyment and pleasure from doing math.
For this reason I am requesting a class set of the novel “The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure” by Hans Magnus Enzensburger. This book is composed of 12 short stories, each of which introduces and explores a fundamental mathematical concept, such as prime numbers and the invention of zero. The story is told in a fun and engaging manner, with plenty of humor and full color illustrations. Since many of the illustrations are essential to an understanding of and interaction with the text, each student would need to have an individual copy. I will use this novel in my classroom to re-teach and/or reinforce the basic number skills that are essential to my students' success. Once they have read the book, I will have each student choose a topic from the book to explore in more depth and present to the class. Reading this book and exploring the math concepts in more detail will strengthen my students' basic math skills and hopefully encourage them to keep learning and trying in the classroom.
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure Hans Magnus Magnus Enzensberger,Rotraut Susanne Berner (Illustrator),Michael Henry Heim (Translator)
• Barnes and Noble
$12.60
35
$441.00
Materials cost
$441.00
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
3rd party payment processing fee
Fulfillment labor & materials
Total project cost
$514.55
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$112.95
Total project goal
$627.50
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$627.50
1 Donor
-$591.73
Donations toward project cost
-$515.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. E. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.