Abstract:

Mathematics is one of the subjects taught at elementary school where cross-curricular relations can be used very well. It is ideal to connect mathematics with some of other natural science subjects (e.g. physics, chemistry or biology). Of course, it is also possible to find cross-curricular relations between mathematics and humanities (e.g. history). One of the suitable possibilities of interconnecting mathematics with other fields is integrated word problems, i.e. verbal problems that work with reality and natural situation. The content of the word tasks is focused mainly on situations and areas close to children. Integrated word problems can thus link the curriculum of several disciplines at different levels, from the basic situation of interconnecting two usually separate subjects to the level of close interconnection of several subjects within a single topic (e.g. the topic "water" can be discussed from the perspective of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and geography). This paper is devoted to selected integrated word problems that were created with the aim of interconnecting the curriculum of mathematics and biology. The tasks were verified in the 5th grade (children aged 10 to 12) at the Dobřany Elementary School (Pilsen Region, Czech Republic). Related research was focused on the reflexion of activities from the perspective of both teachers and pupils and was based on the monitored success and feedback from the pupils, the tasks were divided into categories according to the difficulty (easy, difficult, hard).

Keywords:

Cross-curricular relations, integrated word problem, teaching mathematics, worksheet, reflexion.