Real Life Math Mysteries: A Kids’ Answer to the Question, What will we ever use this for?

Zookeeper, horse stable owner, archaeologist, lawyer, pilot, fireman, newspaper editor, dairy farmer, arson detective … these are just a few of the real people who, in their own words, share their own daily encounters with mathematics. How much lettuce does the Pizza Hut manager need to order for next week? How many rose bushes can a gardener fit around a wading pool? How many fire hoses will be needed to extinguish the fire? Your students will be amazed at the real-life math faced by truck drivers, disc jockeys, farmers, and car mechanics.

Real Life Math Mysteries introduces students to math in the real world through a series of problems drawn from a vast array of community leaders, business professionals, and city officials. The problems are designed to stimulate students’ creative thinking and teach the value of math in a real-world setting.

Each concise and clear problem is provided on a blackline master and includes problem-solving suggestions for students with a comprehensive answer key. The problems are tied to the guidelines for math instruction from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This book will get students thinking about the mathematics all around them.

Make math last a lifetime. Students will delight in the real-life approach to math as they realize that they will use math skills over and over again in whatever vocation they choose. Make math an exciting experience that children realize will last a lifetime.

More books that make math fun for students include Extreme Math, It’s Alive!, and It’s Alive! And Kicking!.

Grades 4-10