Overview | How do we know when the economy is in a recession? How do key economic indicators perform in a downturn? In this lesson, students create graphs of various economic measurements, using quantitative and qualitative reasoning skills to compare, contrast and correlate the performance of measures like gross domestic product, unemployment and personal income. Read more…
DATA ANALYSIS AND PROBABILITY
Overview | Why have SAT reading scores hit an all-time low? In this lesson students investigate the question, and, by extension, the test itself, through research and analyzing possible contributing factors. They then choose from a variety of “going further” activities to write about what they have learned.
Materials | Computers with Internet access and word-processing software.
Warm-Up | Distribute copies of the handout Attitudes on Aptitude and give students time to rate their agreement or disagreement with each statement individually. When they are finished, form nine groups, one for each statement and invite students to join the group devoted to the statement that most interests them. Give them time to share their ideas, then have a spokesperson from each group share a few thoughts that emerged from each discussion. When all groups have reported, ask students to reflect on the statements that seemed most interesting and controversial to the class as a whole. Why do they think this is?
Aug. 11, 2011 | Updated
Here are some useful New York Times resources to help get students up to speed on all the news related to the national debt, starting with understanding the basics.
Please note that as this is a breaking news story, with more developments to come, this list is a starting point.
The National Debt and the Debt Ceiling
First things first: What is the national debt? What is the so-called debt ceiling? What measure did Congress pass? Use these articles and multimedia to get oriented.
Times Topics: National Debt
An index of Times articles and multimedia about the national debt and the debt ceiling; includes a helpful Times-written overview.
Q. and A. on the Debt Ceiling
A “crash course in all things debt ceiling.”
Comparing Deficit-Reduction Plans
This chart breaks down the proposals that were being made by leaders in Washington, including President Obama and Representative John A. Boehner, the speaker of the House. The top section explores how the final compromise would work.
Charting the American Debt Crisis
A set of charts illustrating how the national debt accumulated and other related topics.
Fill-In | The Federal Debt Ceiling
Test your understanding by trying to fill in the 20 blanks in the Times Topics overview correctly.
The Credit Downgrade
Once you’ve got the national debt and the debt ceiling under your proverbial belt, the next topic to tackle is the downgrade of the United States credit rating by Standard & Poor’s. What does that mean? Use these Times resources to find out more. Read more…
Overview | How much sleep does the average teenager need? How do the natural sleep rhythms of most adolescents sometimes conflict with the typical high school schedule? In this lesson, students explore their own sleep habits by keeping sleep logs. They look for patterns in the data they collect, explore current research on adolescent sleep needs and make suggestions to their local school boards regarding sleep and school schedules.
Materials | Student journals, computers with Internet access, copies of the handout Weekly Sleep Log.
Warm-Up | In their journals, students respond to the following prompts:
- How much sleep do you think you get each night?
- Generally, how easy or hard is it for you to get to sleep? To wake up in the morning?
- Do you generally feel tired or rested when you wake up in the morning?
- Are you ever sleepy during the day?
- Have you ever fallen asleep during a class?
- Are there certain times of day when you feel especially sleepy? When do you feel the most alert?
- Are you just as sleepy on weekends or during school vacations as you are during the school week?
Ask for volunteers to share their responses, and use this as an opening for a general conversation about student sleep habits. Read more…
Overview | How fast are populations growing around the world? How can governments, institutions and individuals use that knowledge to appropriately plan for the future? In this lesson, students create population profiles of countries and use simple mathematical tools to create population projections that can be compared and analyzed. They also delve into related questions about resources and supplies with respect to projected population growth. Read more…
This month we’ve been experimenting with a new “Multimedia of the Week” feature, and today we have a second installment.
This one features a New York Times interactive map that converts Americans’ responses to questions about 20 different quality of life indicators, from job satisfaction to exercise, and sorts the responses by Congressional district. Below, we provide questions and activities for analyzing the map and using it for classroom inquiry.
Let us know what you think of this new format!
Before students open the interactive map and read the questions the Gallup interviewers actually asked, have them make a list of questions they might ask in phone interviews with random Americans if they were interested in finding out about the quality of life across the United States. What general factors do you think are responsible for creating a sense of well-being in most people? After students have made their lists, open the map to see how many are similar to the questions Gallup researchers actually asked.
Overview | Rankings and ratings can have considerable, and serious, implications. How do we determine that a student, team, school, teacher or policy is better than another? And what does “better” mean? In this lesson, students explore the use of quantitative ratings by examining how Division I college basketball teams are ranked, and how specific mathematical decisions can have significant consequences. Read more…
Math may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about using The New York Times for teaching and learning, but the newspaper lends itself to math just as naturally as it does to other subjects. Here are a dozen engaging ways to use The Times any day to foster mathematical understanding and skills. And if you have other ideas, please share them using the comment box below.
1. Find Your Dream Home
How much would you pay for 1,000 square feet of living space in New York City? What about Los Angeles? Use the Real Estate section of The Times to compare and contrast the cost of housing in different parts of the country, or even different parts of the world.
Or find a home for sale in your area, find an up-to-date interest rate (for that, you might try ERate), and use the mortgage calculator located next to the real estate listing to compute your monthly payment over the term of the loan. How much would you have to earn per year to afford your dream home? How long would it take to save up enough for your down payment?
2. Find Your Dream Car
Is it cheaper to own a Ford Fusion or a Toyota Prius? Use this Auto Loan Calculator to figure out the monthly payments, check out average insurance rates for each car in your area here, and estimate how much you’ll spend in gas per month. How do the costs of ownership measure up? What other factors might be considered?
Or, use the Automotive section’s New Car Search to find the listing for your dream car. How much would it cost to own? How quickly will your new car depreciate in value? Search the Used Car Listings to get some idea of how a car’s value changes over time.
Overview | How can census data provide insights into one’s community and state, as well as the nation? What are the implications of the population data provided by the census? In this lesson, students examine maps that represent census data, from the present to the past 100 years, on levels from national to state to street, then generate and find answers to related research questions. They can also design and conduct an ethnography study in their community to gain insight into the real people behind the statistics. Read more…
Overview | What do the 2010 midterm election results mean for the country? What can exit poll data tell us about how Americans are thinking about politics and government? In this lesson, students closely examine the exit polling data and analysts’ interpretations to better understand the midterm election results. Read more…