Middle School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice

Preface Introduction Chapter 1: What Is Social Justice and Why Does It Matter in Teaching Mathematics? Chapter 2: Building and Sustaining a Beloved Community in the Middle School Mathematics Classroom Chapter 3: Fostering a Classroom to Teach Mathematics for Social Justice Chapter 4: Instructional Tools for the Social Justice Mathematics Lesson Chapter 5: Teaching the Social Justice Mathematics Lesson Chapter 6: The Number System Lesson 6.1 Food Apartheid: Graphing and Understanding Access to Healthy Food Lesson 6.2 Cor(o)ner Stores and Food Apartheid Lesson 6.3 Billionaire Power Lesson 6.4 Middle School Math to Explore People Represented in Our World and Community Chapter 7: Ratios and Proportional Relationships Lesson 7.1 Hey Google, Who's a Mathematician Lesson 7.2 The True Cost of that $29 T-shirt in the Store Window Lesson 7.3 Majority and Power Lesson 7.4 Smoking and Vaping: Targeting of Marginalized Communities by the Tobacco Industry Lesson 7.5 Health Race and Ratios Lesson 7.6 Health Inequalities: COVID and Other Health Conditions Chapter 8: Algebra: Expressions, Equations, and Functions Lesson 8.1 Gerrymandering of Voting Districts Lesson 8.2 National Team Pay Investigation Lesson 8.3 The Black Vote in America: Impact of the 1965 Voting Rights Act Chapter 9: Statistics and Probability Lesson 9.1 Playing with Data Lesson 9.2 The Mathematics of Toxic Air Lesson 9.3 Gender Pay Gap Lesson 9.4 How Many Meals Can Minimum Wage Buy Chapter 10: Geometry Lesson 10.1 Map Projections Lesson 10.2 3D Modeling for Water Lesson 10.3 Water is Life Lesson 10.4 Accessible Playground Lesson 10.5 Investigating Areas to Determine Fairness Chapter 11: Advice From the Field Chapter 12: Creating Social Justice Mathematics Lessons for Your Own Classroom Appendix A: Additional Resources Appendix B: Lesson Resources Appendix C: Essential Middle Grades Concepts Appendix D: Social Justice Topics, Standards, and Grade Level Outcomes Appendix E: Lessons by Essential Middle Grades Concepts, Social Justice Grades 6-8 Outcomes, and Social Justice Topics Appendix F: Social Justice Mathematics Lesson Planner References

A wonderful collection of lessons, submitted by teachers, to help students of all ages see topics they care about, and use mathematics as a tool for progress in the world. -- Jo Boaler * Stanford, CA * Conway et al. have done it again! In this volume, not only do the authors share rich, standards- based, grade-level appropriate mathematical tasks with social justice contexts, they also share specific strategies and tools to engage the middle school mathematics student. -- Kyndall Brown * Los Angeles, CA * Middle School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice is a must-have resource for any middle school educator seeking to incorporate teaching mathematics for social justice in their educational environment. This book provides practical lessons that will truly enhance a child's educational experience through engaging them in relevant applications of mathematics. -- Kristopher J. Childs * Winter Garden, FL * If you teach middle school mathematics and have wanted to promote social justice but haven't been sure how to get started, you need to check out this book. It incorporates lessons you can use immediately as well as how to foster the kind of classroom community where students will thrive. It's the kind of book you'll want to have alongside you to support you throughout your journey. -- Robert Kaplinsky * Long Beach, CA * Middle School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice is an outstanding addition to the growing number of texts and projects that weave the teaching of mathematics and social justice together. The authors go deep and broad to show how, why, and when this combination of curricular topics improves our students' mathematical understandings while honing their abilities and dispositions to promote social and environmental justice in their own lives and communities. -- Bob Peterson * Milwaukee, WI * A very compelling set of fresh ideas are offered that prepare educators to turn the corner on advocating for social justice in the mathematics classroom. Each book is full of engaging activities, frameworks, and standards that center instruction on community, worldview, and the developmental needs of all students-a much-needed resource to reboot our commitment to the next generation. -- Linda M. Fulmore * Cave Creek, AZ * I imagine many people will purchase this book for the sample lesson plans. And you should; they're fabulous. But just as fabulous, and equally important, is the framework the authors lay out for a comprehensive, holistic, transformative approach to mathematics teaching, with social justice at its core. -- Paul C. Gorski * Columbia, SC * As a teacher educator for social justice, I am familiar with the near-constant refrain of "this isn't something you can do in math!" This book illustrates just the opposite. Indeed, not only is it possible to engage in social justice mathematics, but it is an educational imperative to do so. This much-needed and valuable collection provides practitioners with clear and compelling lessons that are grounded in theories of justice and equity. Especially timely in this text is the clear evidence that not only can middle school young adolescents engage in critical conversations, problem solving, and sociocultural analysis in their mathematics classes, but they must. The editors and contributors to this volume have curated a powerful resource that is a must-read for all mathematics educators and those who care about social justice teaching and learning. -- Alyssa Hadley Dunn * East Lansing, MI * Middle School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice is a book written for the teacher of mathematics. This diverse group of authors and educators provides everything a teacher needs to transform their practice from critical theory to teachable lesson plans! A must-read for educators who seek to transform mathematics back to its humanistic roots. -- Shraddha Shirude * Seattle, WA *