Got it!

[velvetpage]

I just came up with the most fabulous project EVAR to combine social studies and math.  Get a load of this:

Project:

 

With your partners (groups of 3) you will research number systems in at least three ancient civilizations.  One of those three must be the Hindu-Arabic system; the others are up to you and will depend on what resources you can find to learn about the number systems.  I've included a list of links, available on our class's First Class page, to get you started.

1. Write a paragraph explaining the main features of the three number systems you chose (each group member should write one paragraph; I will be looking for rough work during conferences.)
2. Use number cubes or other manipulatives to model each number system.  (It may be easiest to pick one number and model it in all three number systems.)  Take pictures of your models.  Don't forget to include a group member in each photo so that we know who the pictures belong to when we download them off the cameras!
3. Make a chart that explains the main features of each number system, and compares it to our base-ten system.  Some suggestions for headings on your chart:

Use of zero

Base number

Strengths

Limitations

4. Write another piece in the format of your choice, explaining which parts of those ancient number systems are still in place today, giving examples for each.  (Use the cameras or images from the internet to back up your points!)  If any of those systems have been completely abandoned, explain why you think that happened.
5. Each group will do a brief oral report on their findings for their classmates.  Every group member should be able to discuss any aspect of the project - even if somebody else worked on it - so be sure to teach each other what you learned!

I'll be making up a rubric and some lesson plans when I get back from my swim, and I've already got a thorough list of expectations that can be assessed using this project.  When I'm done I'll post the whole thing to Ontario_teacher.  Any suggestions appreciated; this is the first, very rough draft. 

Comments

[forthright.livejournal.com]

I would be happy to help with sources if you like. Because I'm lazy, I've never put together a good page on numerical notations on the Phrontistery (just a massive bibliography which is no use to your students). The Wikipedia pages on numerical notations are mediocre at best, I'm afraid.

(Of course, my *actual* recommendation would be for me to send you the entirety of my 500-page book by PDF ... but probably that would be taking your research too far for this project!)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I would be interested in reading it, at some point - but not now. :) I would appreciate a few straightforward sources. There are plenty of books about ancient civilizations in our school library, but they all ignore mathematics more or less completely. Last year's project was a brochure on an ancient invention. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to come up with research about wheelbarrows and water clocks.

[forthright.livejournal.com]

I suppose the best one is this link:
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Indexes/HistoryTopics.html
although it still makes me wince at various places. And I suppose some of the Wikipedia articles are all right.

Honestly you could do worse than the 1911 (now out of copyright, available at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22599) book by Karpinksi and Smith, The Hindu-Arabic Numerals.

Out of curiosity, what are you using currently?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Whatever internet resources came up on Google, and dim memories from my undergrad fifteen years ago. :) Thanks for the links!