Students,
Welcome to Mr. Wagoner’s math class. This year you will be finding out that math is more than being able to do a calculation. We will be examining a variety of texts and writing papers and thinking in a very critical way. Questioning the readings and asking why and how did they come to that conclusion? You may ask yourself why we are going to be doing these things when all I need to know is how to solve a math problem. Well my intention is to make you math literate. You are probably asking yourself what is math literate. Here goes my best explanation. Being math literate is being able to focus on those math skills that you will use in everyday life. When I talk about being math literate I am talking about not only should you know the mechanics of these skills enough to do them without looking them up or using a calculator, but I want you to know in what situations to use the skills that I have taught you. Being “math literate” is not someone with lots of math knowledge, but rather someone who can apply what skills they do have to different situations. My class will be focused on using outside resources to show you how important it is to know these skills that I will teach you. I hope that you have fun in my class, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Good luck,
Mr. Wagoner
Rodney - I think that students will appreciate this kind of letter. It shows that you want to help them make sense out of math in relation to their world. You could even have them write you a letter that tells you what they want from the class. Already you could start building those relationships!
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