MARCH 20, 2023 1

CALCULATORS
Ms. Williams' 4th Grade Class, Cool Kidz Elementary School

OVERVIEW Hello parents/guardians! We have been working

diligently in class this year and have begun to build
our knowledge further of addition, subtraction,
THE NCTM'S STANCE multiplication, and division facts. The introduction of
word problems has been a fun but challenging task in
ON CALCULATOR USE
our classroom. We are at the point in the year that
IN THE CLASSROOM students have practiced their skills physically and
practically using many methods, strategies, and
manipulatives. I believe that it is time to reintroduce
THE PROS AND CONS
calculators. Your child should have already used a
OF CALCULATOR USE IN calculator in previous grades but in the case they
THE CLASSROOM have not, we will go over the proper uses of them,
the pros and cons of having them as a tool, the
NCTM's stance, general information, and practical
uses to help your child in and out of the classroom.
RESEARCH ON As always, reach out if you have any questions or
CALCULATOR USE AND concern, my contact information is at the bottom of
every newsletter.
MY PHILOSOPHY

Who is the NCTM?

The NCTM stands for the National Council of
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Teachers in Mathematics and is the world's largest
YOUR CHILD USE A organized group for math. They aim to help support
CALCLUATOR AT HOME teachers to create the best method of learning for
students across all variations of math.
MARCH 20, 2023 2

The NCTM believes there is a time and place for technology

to better enhance the learning of students in the classroom.
Tools and technologies are actually one of the five most
important aspects of effective math in schools, in their
opinion, and calculators are a form of that technology (Van
De Walle, J. A., 2019). The key factor that the NCTM supports
is the use of this technology strategically so it will "support
students in exploring and identifying mathematical concepts
and relationships" (National Council for Teachers in
Mathematics, 2015).

Calculator Use in the Classroom

Pros Cons
Focus on the process more than the It is possible that some math concepts
solution (this includes enhanced critical could not develop fully
and abstract thinking as the focus is not Students could use calculators as a short
turned towards the process and how they cut
came to the solution rather than a right or It is believed by some that calculators will
wrong answer) replace pen-and-pencil
Begins to build real-world connections to The use of calculators could hide some
mathematical concepts and everyday tasks progress or hinder students from
such as tipping, budgeting, measuring, and practicing skills that need more attention
so much more
McCullif
Prepares students for higher level math Starr (2002)
and higher level computations in the future
Students can begin to build their math
confidence
They provide a simple way to check work
Allows other areas in math to flourish, such
as visualization,
Earlier practice increase comfortability,
especially on standardized tests
McCullif
Starr (2002)

"I am smart, I am capable, even if I make some mistakes, I am ready

to grow and learn!"
 MARCH 20, 2023 3

My Philosophy The Current Debate

In my class, students have already learned Calculators are still a hot topic amongst parents
the concepts of addition, subtraction, and educators. As you read above, there are a lot
multiplication, and division by hand. We of pros and cons to calculators being used in the
have developed strategies and methods to elementary school classroom. The largest
work out problems by breaking them down problem that has arisen related to calculator use
into parts or utilizing our knowledge of in the elementary school classroom is that it will
times tables. Having this knowledge allows hinder students' ability to compute problems in
students to work quicker and easier at some their heads or the old fashioned way because
points because they have prior experience the tool is seemingly doing all the work for them
to lean on. Adding in the calculator will not (CMSE). Similar arguments have been made for
take away from all of the knowledge they any form of technology including growing
have stored up in their brains already. I aspects within STEM and other courses that
want to shift the focus in my classroom to heavily rely on these forms of technology as
the process rather than the product. tools. On the other hand, it can be argued that
Students are still going to have to go those students have to know the information
through the process even while using a they are putting into the calculators and
calculator, it will just take some pressure off therefore are still using their reasoning even
of getting the right answer. through the help of these tools (Quick Takes).

How to help at home: A Magic Trick

Having children get familiar with a calculator is important. Let them try it out during a grocery
shopping trip or mall outing, even figuring out the tip! If your child does not see the significance
of calculators, try this fun "birthday magic trick" with them and spark their curiosity at home!

Write down their birthday. Subtract 200 Add the last two digits of your year of
Example : September 28, 1986 1225 - 200 = 1025 birth (1986)
103300 + 86 = 103386
Start with the month: 9 Add the day of the month they
were born Ask them to give you their result:
Multiply the month by 4 1025 + 28 = 1053 103386
9 x 4 = 36
Multiply by 2 Now you can magically tell them their
Add 13 1053 x 2 = 2106 birth date. (Here's how to do it)
36 + 13 = 49
Subtract 40 Subtract 10500 from their resul
Multiply by 25 2106 - 40 = 2066 103386 - 10500 = 92886
49 x 25 = 1225 9 = month of September
Multiply by 50 28 = day of birth
2066 x 50 = 103300 86 = year of birth
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As part of our English class, we will be reading One Grain of Rice:

Our Reading
A Mathematical Folktale by Demi. This story takes place in India
and is about how a girl outsmarts a greedy Raja by her knowledge Connection:
of doubling. While reading the story, students will get a glimpse How calculators
of how smaller numbers, when doubled, can grow very large very
quickly, while also learning ideas of fairness and kindness to
play into stories
those who are in need. The concept of doubling is an idea called
exponential growth, something they will learn further down the
line in higher math courses. After we have read this book as an
introduction, I will challenge students to conduct a doubling
sequence in the same way the main character, Rani, does during
her town's famine. She starts with 1 grain of rice which turns into
2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and so on. I would give students a tangible
representation with skittles or M&Ms and encourage them to use
calculators to see how the numbers grow. This can be a sweet
and practical way to explain how concepts like doubling work.

Fun Activity: Calculator Scavenger Hunt!

Allowing students to explore and practice with calculators is vital to the learning process. This is
an example of an activity we may start out with to get everyone more comfortable with them.
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Quick Links If you would like some resources and links to tools like calculators
for your student to try, check out the ones listed below!

Basic 4-Function Calculator Scientific Calculator

Resources
“Birthday Math.” Birthday Math Trick,
https://www.pedagonet.com/Maths/birthdaymath.htm.
CMSE. “Let's End the Debate Over Calculators.” Microsoft Word file.
Demi. One Grain of Rice. Scholastic Press, 1997.
Erin McCauliff. “The Calculator in the Elementary Classroom: Making a Useful Tool out of an
Ineffective Crutch.” Microsoft Word file.
Quick Takes: Calculators in the Classroom.” Microsoft Word file.
Starr, L. (2002). Educators Battle Over Calculator Use: Both Sides Claim Casualties.
Education World. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr072.shtml
Strategic Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning Mathematics. (2015). National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics. Retrieved from
https://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Standards_and_Positions/Position_Statements/Str
ategic%20Use%20of%20Technology%20July%202015.pdf
Scavenger Hunt:
http://heethuis.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/4/1/8741057/calculator_scavenger_hunt.pdf
Van De Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2019). Elementary and Middle School
Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Contact Me
Phone: (757) 123-4567 Email: [email protected]