12 Ways to Use the NYT to Develop Math Literacy

Here’s my latest contribution to the New York Times Learning Network:  a collection of ideas for math activities that are built around content from the New York Times.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/12-ways-to-use-the-times-to-develop-math-literacy/

The activities run the gamut of the paper, and include examples in Finance, Real Estate, Dining and Sports, among others.  Here’s an example:

1. Find Your Dream Home

How much would you pay for 1,000 square feet of living space inNew York City? What about Los Angeles? Use the Real Estatesection of The Times to compare and contrast the cost of housing in different parts of the country, or even different parts of the world.

Or find a home for sale in your area, find an up-to-date interest rate (for that, you might try ERate), and use the mortgage calculatorlocated next to the real estate listing to compute your monthly payment over the term of the loan. How much would you have to earn per year to afford your dream home? How long would it take to save up enough for your down payment?