Each story can be acted out on a graph that is drawn on the floor, with a student taking the part of each one of the characters. The action and the situations in the stories explain the requirements and the constraints for how each of the characters moves about the graph. The endings of the stories remain somewhat open, because what Gertrude, Superperson and the Monster eventually do depends, not only on the choices that the students make as they act out their parts, but on the graphs that are chosen to play the games.

Play the games first with the graphs that are recommended, then try them on different graphs. As they play the games on various graphs, students can discover many different properties of the mathematical objects called graphs.

Students can also play the games on a table using a graph that is drawn on a piece of paper for a game board and moving marking pieces that show the actions of the characters.

Old Friends, New Game

Description

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/graph/grold.html

This story provides the scenario for playing a game on a graph. It can be played on the graph of Land of Many Ponds or on any other graph available here, or on graphs that students draw themselves. At the end of the story the Monster and Superperson have begun to solve their problem, but it is not completely clear what they should do next. The students who play the role of Superperson and the Monster will have to decide what to do. The planning and strategies that the characters will need to do will change when the game is played on different graphs. Playing the same game on different graphs helps students understand the structure of graphs in general, and to make inferences about properties that can be used to distinguish one from another.

More games on graphs

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/graph/grother.html

The Ice Cream Stands Problem

Description

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/dom/doice.html

In this activity, a graph is used to represent the map of a city. (See Games on Graphs for other puzzles where graphs are used as maps.) The problem that is explained in the story is easy to understand, but, surprisingly, there is no simple, straightforward way to solve it. Students will find themselves experimenting with a variety of approaches.

Illustrating the Hotel Infinity

Description

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/infinity/inillus.html

As students listen to the story The Hotel Infinity, they will try to picture how it looks and what happens there. Then they will make illustrations that can be displayed with the text of the story. Once the children have heard the story, no doubt they will have ideas and questions that relate to the mathematics behind the Hotel Infinity.

Learn My Language

Description

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/machine/malearn.html

Students act out the operation of a finite state machine that has been drawn with masking tape on the classroom floor. Students receive (or make) tickets that serve as inputs to the machine. The tickets tell them which lines on the floor to follow and which circles or states to pass through. If they end up in an accept state they receive a prize. This means that what was printed on their ticket was recognized by the machine as a word in its language

Other related finite activities

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/machine/maactiv.html

Salaries and Job Information

http://parade.salary.com/salarytimer/layoutscripts/stml_start.asp            This is a website with a salary timer to compare what you can make to celebrities
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/arithmetic/Kline-Loyd.shtml           This is a great salary puzzler to solve - math problem solving
http://www.parade.com/money/            What people earn - PARADE Magazine survey If the above link is blocked, you can get there from this link, click related items
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=136&sid=1099458 http://www.bestplaces.net/col/         Compares salaries from city to city so you see that the same money isn't the same everywhere

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