Maybe it is worth standing back at looking at how money is handled. Does the Core State Standard "convert" between cents and dollars or only between dollars and euros?
As I see it, there should be two sets of vocabulary: * The first that describes the relationship between dollars and cents, between grams and kilograms, between metres and centimeters * The second that describes the relationship between dollars and euros, feet and inches, gallons and litres. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of James R. Frysinger Sent: 11 March 2010 20:57 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:46913] Re: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics John, You can make a fine technical point to support your view and, were we at a convention of metrologists, I would expect such precision in your speech. However, we are addressing the issue of teaching the SI to children for what we hope will be used by them in their quotidian lives. Notice ... NIST SP 811 (2008), Table B.9, p. 59, one of many examples therein: [in three columns] To convert from To Multiply by watt second (W . s) joule (J) 1.0 E+00 What word would you propose in lieu of "convert"? I'm coming at this discussion from a practical view, John. Not one of technical language purity. Let's teach 'em the metric system and get them to use it. Those who wish to become metrologists can then matriculate to courses of study where greater care is taken with the terminology. Second grade is too early for that. Jim John Frewen-Lord wrote: > > Jim: > > I beg to differ! > > I used the word 'fundamental' in my previous email very deliberately. > With customary units, miles, yards, feet, inches (length); pounds, > ounces (mass), etc, are each discrete units, with a conversion factor to > convert one from the other (12 inches in a foot, etc, etc). As we all > know, SI does not work like that - you simply add a, or change an > existing, prefix to better reflect the magnitude of a particular > quantity. Rescaling -yes. Converting - no. > > Without teaching that, you cannot understand what SI is truly about. I > got the impression in reading the Common Core State Standards that the > person who wrote those standards missed this fundamental concept > altogether - i.e. he/she wrote the metric part in the same context (i.e. > with conversion factors) as for the customary part. And to me that's > wrong. > > Hence my comment - to me this is fundamental, and not simply a minor > nit-pick. > > John F-L > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "James R. Frysinger" > <[email protected]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:05 PM > Subject: [USMA:46911] Re: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics > > >> >> I suppose one could make a point for using something like "rescale" as >> opposed to "convert" when changing a value statement in centimeters to >> one in millimeters, for example. >> >> However, I don't see this as a major point. The word "convert" can >> mean a wide variety of things. I would say "convert common fractions >> to decimal fractions" even though 1/2 is the same value as 0.5. >> >> To me, the major focus ought to be getting the children not only to >> learn metric units but also to use them! And the latter ought to >> include projects and work in lessons for English, foreign languages, >> art, social studies, etc. >> >> I have a fear that if we get to nit-picky about some of these little >> things, we will only make the metric system seem obscure and difficult. >> >> Jim >> >> John Frewen-Lord wrote: >>> >>> One doesn't of course 'convert' between centimeters and meters - they >>> are essentially one and the same thing. This reveals a fundamental >>> failure to understand what the metric system (let alone SI) is about. >>> >>> As for mentioning the centimeter, and not the millimeter - Pat N >>> should be having fits by now! Still, all part of the failure in >>> teaching SI. >>> >>> John F-L >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> >>> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:31 PM >>> Subject: [USMA:46909] Common Core State Standards for Mathematics >>> >>> >>>> >>>> On Page 16 of the DRAFT (for Grade 2), under "Length Measurement" is >>>> the statement: "Understand that 1 inch, 1 foot, 1 centimeter, and 1 >>>> meter are conventionally defined lengths used as standard units. >>>> "There is no mention of SI. >>>> >>>> On Page 20 (for Grade 3) is the statement: "Determine and compare >>>> areas by counting square units. Use cm^2, m^2, in^2, ft^2, and >>>> improvised units." There is no mention of SI. >>>> >>>> On Page 24 (for Grade 4) is the statement: "...show distances along >>>> a race course to tents of a mile on a number line, by dividing the >>>> unit of length into 10 equal parts to get parts of length 1/10...." >>>> There is no mention of SI. >>>> >>>> On Page 28 (for Grade 5)is the statement: Convert among differently >>>> sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system >>>> (e.g. feet to yards, centimeters to meters, and use conversions in >>>> solving multiple word problems." also "...determine and compare >>>> volumes...by counting cubic units (using cm^3, m^3, in^3,ft^3, and >>>> improvised units." There is no mention of SI. >>>> >>>> These are all the measurement related statements I have found to >>>> data. The failure to even mention SI is a serious omission in my >>>> opinion. I expect to more formally call attention to this major >>>> deficiency. >>>> >>>> Gene Mechtly >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> James R. Frysinger >> 632 Stony Point Mountain Road >> Doyle, TN 38559-3030 >> >> (C) 931.212.0267 >> (H) 931.657.3107 >> (F) 931.657.3108 >> > > > > -- James R. Frysinger 632 Stony Point Mountain Road Doyle, TN 38559-3030 (C) 931.212.0267 (H) 931.657.3107 (F) 931.657.3108
