Math Anxiety in NYC

Webquest

Michelle Santoro

P.S. 122Q

msantoro5@schools.nyc.gov

Introduction:

● “This problem makes no sense.” ● “There is no way to solve this problem.” ● “My hands are sweating and I can’t breathe.” ● “I hate seeing everyone around me working so quickly and I am just sitting here clueless.” ● Do you have testing stress?

Have you ever felt these feelings when it was time to take a math test? These are often feelings you may feel and you just don’t know how to deal with it. You also may feel like this because you have no idea how to even study for an upcoming math test. Some students have low self-esteem when it comes time to math and others try to avoid and ignore it. Sometimes when you hear you have an upcoming math test you get stressed out and don’t even know where to begin to study and you just look at numbers and get lost.

Tasks:

● Take a survey to see if you have math anxiety.

● In a group of 5, create a presentation in google slides that explains to others what it means to have math anxiety, the causes of anxiety over math, its effects, and what we can do to help it.

Process:

Follow these steps to complete your Google Slides Project:

○ Slide 1- The title (the problem) with your group names

○ Slide 2- Define your problem- write a paragraph to describe what the problem is. How does it make students feel?

○ Slide 3- Write the causes of math anxiety.

○ Slide 4- The effects math anxiety has.

○ Slide 5- What the school is already doing to help with math anxiety

○ Slide 6- What solutions you think will be the best to use.

○ Slide 7- Studying habits you can use to help you better prepare and feel better about math tests.

○ You should include images, videos, etc

Use the Public Policy Analyst (6 Steps)

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution

Resources:

● What is math anxiety? ● How to help your Math Anxiety ● Causes & Solutions ● Math advice ● Test-taking strategies ● Causes & Prevention ● How to Help Kids with Anxiety

Evaluation:
	4	3	2	1
Content	The presentation includes all four specific slides- explaining math anxiety to others, the causes of anxiety over math, its effect and what we can do to help. In addition, they included more information and details.	The presentation includes all four specific slides- explaining math anxiety to others, the causes of anxiety over math, its effect and what we can do to help.	The presentation is missing a slide from the four specific slides that needed to be included - explaining math anxiety to others, the causes of anxiety over math, its effect and what we can do to help.	The presentation is missing most of the specific slides- explaining math anxiety to others, the causes of anxiety over math, its effect and what we can do to help.
Information	All information is accurate. Information is paraphrased. Students demonstrate a strong understanding of the content. All slides are completed and detailed.	Most information is accurate. Information is paraphrased. Students demonstrate an understanding of content. All slides are completed with details.	Some information is accurate. Information may be paraphrased. Students demonstrate some understanding of content. Most slides are completed but with minimal details. Some slides may be missing	Information is not accurate. Information is not paraphrased. Students struggle to understand the content. Slides are missing and there is not enough detail or none at all.
Organization	Information is organized in a clear logical way. The audience is able to follow the presentation easily.	Most information is organized in a clear logical way. The audience is able to follow most of the presentation.	Some information is in logical order. The audience is still able to follow some of the presentation.	Minimal or no clear plan for the organization of information. The audience finds it difficult to follow the presentation.
Creativity	Presentation is visually appealing. There are many images, videos, graphics and readable and colorful. Student(s) effort(s) is/are easily shown	Presentation is visual. There are images, videos, graphics and readable and colorful. Students' efforts are mostly shown throughout.	Presentation is somewhat visual. Some graphics and text are readable. Student effort is recognized throughout most of the work.	Presentation is not very visual. Most graphics and text are not readable. Student effort is lacking throughout the work
Conventions	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.	Presentations have a few minor errors but they do not distract from presentation.	Presentations have frequent spelling and grammatical, and they begin to distract from presentation.	Presentations have many errors in spelling and grammar and they distract from presentation.
Presentation	Holds attention of entire audience with the use of direct eye contact, seldom looking at notes. Speaks clearly and loudly to the main audience interest and emphasize key points. The group takes turns presenting.	Consistent use of direct eye contact with the audience, but still returns to notes. Speaks mostly clear and loud keeping some of the audience interested. The group mostly takes turns.	Displays minimal eye contact with the audience, while reading mostly from the note. Speaks in uneven volume with little or no inflection. Not all group members are presenting.	Holds no eye contact with the audience, as the entire report is read from notes. Speaks in low volume and/ or monotonous tone, which causes the audience to disengage.

Conclusion:

Many people suffer from anxiety from math. It is okay if you do feel this way! It is a very common feeling as you get older. If you learn the causes of anxiety and find solutions to overcome it, it will make you feel better about math. Understanding testing anxiety will help you move forward and it will no longer interfere as the math skills get harder as you get older.

Extend your learning using the PPA steps to solve your own social problem

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution

Standards:

● 4W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to explore a topic and convey ideas and information relevant to the subject.

● 4W2a: Introduce a topic clearly and organize related information in paragraphs and sections.

● 4W2b: Develop ideas on a topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, or other relevant information; include text features when useful for aiding comprehension.

● 4W2c: Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary.

● 4W2d: Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information.

● 4W2e: Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

● 4W6: Conduct research to answer questions, including self-generated questions, and to build knowledge through investigating multiple aspects of a topic.

● 4W7: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from multiple sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

● 4R1: Locate and refer to relevant details and evidence when explaining what a text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.

● 4R3: In informational texts, explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts, including what happened and why, based on specific evidence from the text. (RI)

● 4SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, expressing ideas clearly, and building on those of others.