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Life of Fred: Five Days of Upper Division Math
SKU
018033
ISBN
9781937032234
Grade AD
Neutral
Low Teacher Involvement
Visual
No other materials needed
Sequential
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Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
Our Price
$24.00 
Description
For the dedicated math student who wants to push the envelope, here you go. Join Fred at Kittens University for the summer session at least for the first five days in which he lectures (from 4am-8am) on, respectively, Set Theory, Modern Algebra, Abstract Arithmetic, and Topology. Prerequisites for this course include more than a passing knowledge of algebra as well as a course in Geometry that taught and required proofs. Prior algebra instruction should have included:
- Union of sets
- Math induction
- Associative property
- One-to-one functions
- Inverse functions
- Multiplying matrices
As you can see, this includes most high school seniors. However, final prerequisites I would add are an appreciation for math, an ability to think outside the book, ability for creative thought, and a willingness to take a peek at "real" math. I got this opportunity when I took some upper-level university math courses. There is truly a "magic" and beauty to math (which Prof. Schmidt alludes to in the introduction to this book) that most people never get to experience. If your student would like to experience the same, I heartily recommend this summer session with Fred.
Unlike other LOF books, there is no real storyline outside of Fred's lectures. There are fun puzzles (which look suspiciously like proofs, for the most part) to solve - 139 of them that require thought, creativity, and, for some, dedication. Some are easily solved, others are going to take some time. Solutions to all exercises are in the back of the book. If your student loves math or just wants to get a glimpse of higher level math, this course is a great introduction to math beyond calculus.
Publisher's Description of Life of Fred: Five Days of Upper Division Math
Upper division (junior/senior) pure math is much different than calculus. No "word problems," no formulas to memorize, no concrete applications – just puzzles to solve. Instead of learning procedures, students create definitions, theorems, and proofs. These are the first five days of Fred's teaching set theory, modern algebra, abstract arithmetic, and topology.
The first day of set theory:
- Cardinality of a set
- Set builder notation
- Naive set theory
- Modus ponens
- Seven possible reasons to give in a math proof
- The high school geometry postulates are inconsistent
- he proof that every triangle is isosceles
- normal sets.
The first day of modern algebra:
- Definition of a math theory
- Six properties of equality
- Formal definition of a binary operation
- Formal definition of a function
- Definition of a group
- right cancellation law
- Left inverses
- commutative law
The first day of abstract arithmetic:
- Circular definitions
- Unary operations
- The successor function
- Natural numbers
- The five Peano postulates
- Mathematical induction
The first day of topology:
- Topology is all about friendship
- Listed and counting subsets
- Open sets
- The discrete topology
- The three axioms of a topology
- Models for a topology
- open intervals
By the fifth day Fred will have covered:
- The Schröder-Bernstein theorem (set theory)
- Proved Lagrange's theorem for subgroups of any group (modern algebra)
- Defined the real numbers based only on the concept of "adding one" (abstract arithmetic)
- and explored continuous images of compact sets (topology)
Each of the 139 assignments/puzzles/questions that he gives his students calls for creativity rather than doing drill work. Some of these can be done in a minute. Some will take several hours to complete. They are all meant to be enjoyed. The goal is not to finish the book. It's just like life.
All answers are included in the textbook.
Life of Fred Five Days of Upper Division Math is a hardcover textbook containing 208 pages. This book is not consumable. All answers are written on separate paper or in a notebook.
Number of Lessons: 139 assignments. It is not broken up into lessons.
Category Description for Life Of Fred
Life of Fred (LOF) is an unconventional series of math texts that seem accessible and friendly, especially for students who dislike traditional programs. According to Dr. Schmidt, the author, this series is designed to teach you the math you need to know without repetition, redundancy, and a multitude of problems to work. LOF follows the storyline of Fred's life while incorporating solid math concepts and skills. Motivated or independent students will appreciate this series, as well as gifted math students who might need a challenge. Written to the student and intended to be self-teaching, the author prefers that students use these with very little help from you, so they can learn to study and understand on their own. Even the solutions (found in the text) are addressed to the student. In fact, there's a lot of actual instruction in the solutions, which students should read after trying to solve problems on their own. Math in a story context can sometimes make more sense to students than stand-alone math concepts - especially if it's an entertaining story! Students do two books per year up through pre-algebra; beginning with algebra, one book per year.
Details
| Product Format: | Hardcover |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Z-twist Books |
| Author: | Stanley F. Schmidt |
| Grade: | AD |
| ISBN: | 9781937032234 |
| Length in Inches: | 10.25 |
| Width in Inches: | 7.25 |
| Height in Inches: | 0.75 |
| Weight in Pounds: | 1.4 |
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