Native American Geometry

College instruction of student teachers, Inservices. Summer programs, workshops,

Doing it. Native American Geometry was inspired by the archaeological discovery that Native Americans invented their own geometry traditions thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus. The Native American Geometry Workbook Series is a compilation of art and design exercises that become a visual and measurable bridge to the higher maths, including Pythagoras’ Theorem. If you think it’s time to think out of the box, think of a circle. You and your children/students will be amazed. Free samples available.

http://www.earthmeasure.com/nag_main.html#endorse

I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1952. My first archaeology class was twenty years later in the S.F. Bay Area, Foothill College, and months later worked a local prehistoric site as part of a summer course. Addicted, I soon joined the ranks of largely student archaeologists working in professional contract archaeology. In 1976, a BA in anthropology, minor: comparative religions, at San Diego State. In 1989, a MA in anthropology from the University of Arizona. Book: The First American: The Suppressed Story of the People Who Discovered the New World (New Page Books, 2007).

WEBSITE: Native American Geometry http://www.earthmeasure.com/ ..... Native American Geometry crosses over from the world of art to the world of math and science, with simple geometric constructions. It crosses from the subjective to the objective, from aesthetics to reason, and then back again. You just have to draw circles and connect ready-made dots. ..... Geometry unlocked the prehistoric architecture of Chaco Canyon, but most importantly it led to the discovery that students as young as 8 or 9 were capable of practicing the technique well enough to apply protractors. There are a great variety of lessons that can be developed and improvised. Hands-on geometric constructions are 'hands-down' the best connect-the-dot program available because it combines the friendly and creative atmosphere of art projects with very precise shapes containing a host of mathematical phenomena perfect for the 4th-9th grades.