Name: ____________________________________________ Pr.

_____

Should High School

Students Have to Take
Algebra?
DBQ in Mathematics
Algebra II/Trigonometry
Mr. Robare
Fall 2014

Overview: Algebra, discovered near the end of the 16th Century, can be defined as the study of
symbols and the rules manipulating those symbols. In high schools across America, students are
required to take Algebra as a requirement for graduation. Many universities have it as a
prerequisite for admission. Should everyone have to take Algebra in high school?

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

Table of Contents

HOOK VIDEO ................................................................................................................................... 2

UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION .................................................................................................. 3
PRE-BUCKETING .............................................................................................................................. 3
DOCUMENT A.................................................................................................................................. 4
DOCUMENT B .................................................................................................................................. 5
DOCUMENT C .................................................................................................................................. 6
BUCKETING...................................................................................................................................... 7
THESIS ............................................................................................................................................. 7
ESSAY OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................... 8
DBQ FINAL ESSAY ............................................................................................................................ 9

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

HOOK VIDEO
We will begin by watching a brief video, where the presenter Mr. John Bennett (a math teacher) gives
his experience with answering the dreaded question we have all wondered When are we actually
going to use this in real life?

Source: TedxManhattanBeach; TedTalk given in November 2011

Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyowJZxrtbg

Before we begin:
What is your initial answer to the big question? Give your best reason (off the top of your head).

Analysis of Video:
1) What are some reasons the presenter gives for why we should want to learn math?

2) Does everything we learn in school need to be used in real life? Why or why not?

3) How could a Mr. Johnson affect student attitudes towards math?

4) What are the presenters solutions to the current math problem?

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION

1) What is the analytical question being asked?

2) What does it mean to have to take?

3) Rewrite the question in your own words.

PRE-BUCKETING
Directions: Use clues and notes from the Cover Page, Hook Video, Discussions, and Understanding
Activity to predict analytical categories and label the buckets. We suggest you use a two-bucket or
three-bucket method.

OR

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

DOCUMENT A
Title: Why Learn Algebra?
Source: Written by Jason Gibson, for the website MathGoodies; excerpt taken.
Note: MathGoodies is an education website devoted to teaching and understanding mathematics.

What types of problems can you solve using only the skills you learned in Algebra? I invite you
to take a journey with me back to your childhood. We've all been to the playground and had a
great time on the see-saw, the merry-go-round, and the slide. At one time all of us were
completely fascinated with these trips to the playground, but Algebra can help you understand
them. The physics of all of these playground toys can be completely understood using only
Algebra. No Calculus required. For example, if you knew the weight of a person at the top of the
slide and you knew the height of the slide you could roughly calculate how fast you would be
traveling as you exited the bottom of the slide.

Simply put all the math that you ever learn is really a tool for understanding the
world around us. And believe me, we have only begun to scratch the surface of
understanding how the world works. Algebra is a stepping stone to learning about
this wonderful universe that we live in. With it you have the tools to understand a
great many things and you also have the skills needed to continue on and learn
Trigonometry and Calculus which are essential for exploring other types of problems
and phenomena around us.
So, try not to think of Algebra as a boring list of rules and procedures to memorize.
Consider algebra as a gateway to exploring the world around us all.

Document Analysis:
1) What are some reasons to learn Algebra?
2) What are some counterarguments to the reasons listed above?
3) How does the article relate to math you have learned?

Possible Buckets?
4

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

DOCUMENT B
Title: Should Math Really Be A Required Subject?
Source: Written by Shaunacy Ferro, for the website Popular Science in August 2013; excerpts taken.
Note: This article is a written summary of a separate article by Nicholson Baker, originally titled Wrong
Answer.

The myriad roadblocks in our educational system that can only be surpassed by proving
competent in algebra and upper level math--like high school exit exams and college applications,
even for future arts majors--set up the non math-minded to fail, and often, to drop out of school
altogether.

So why are we so into algebra?... In 1950, only 25 percent of students in the U.S. were taking
algebra. The Soviet Union, by contrast, was churning out mathematiciansseeing the influx of
young mathematicians in Russia, Congress passed 1958's National Defense Education Act, reupping the American math curriculum requirements, and, in turn, creating a lot of unhappy
students who, as they struggle through required math course after required math course, become
discouraged and learn to hate school.

If math were an elective, "American science and technology would be unharmed, and a lot of
poisonous math hatred would go away instantly. Kids don't hate smelting, or farming, or
knitting, or highway design, or portrait painting, or neurology, or juggling rubber balls, or
sonnet-writing, because they don't have to take three years of instruction in any of these arts,"
[Baker] writes.

Document Analysis:
1) What are some reasons why we should not be required to learn Algebra?
2) What are some counterarguments to the reasons listed above?
3) Why are schools so attached to math?

Possible Buckets?

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

DOCUMENT C
Source: Chronology adapted from David Klein, A Brief History of American K-12 Mathematics Education
in the 20th Century, Mathematical Cognition, 2003.

1915

William Kilpatrick, a leading authority on educational reform in mathematics,

recommended that the traditional high school curriculum should be for only a select
few.

1923

The 1923 Report, headed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM),
emphasizes the importance of studying Algebra for all students.

1949

The Life Adjustment Movement in education supported the teaching of math only for
practical, everyday purposes.

1955

An all-time low in percentage of high school students enrolled in Algebra (24.8%; over
55% of students were enrolled in Algebra in 1910.

1957

Sputnik, the first space satellite, is launched by the U.S.S.R.

1958

Congress passes the 1958 National Defense Education Act in response to Sputnik, calling
for stronger math and science curricula.

1983

A Nation At Risk is published, claiming that mediocrity is crippling our education system,
and that standards should be met by students.

1989

NCTM introduces the first set of math standards

1997

Most states have adopted standards in mathematics

Document Analysis:
1) How many different trends do you find in this timeline? What are they?
2) Why did 1955 produce an all-time low in math participation? How do you think this would
compare to todays number?
3) What trends would you like to see reoccur today? How would they help?

Possible buckets?
6

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

BUCKETING
Look over all the documents and organize them into your final buckets. Write bucket labels under each
bucket and place the letters of the documents in the buckets where they belong. It is okay to place a
document in more than one bucket. Remember: buckets = body paragraphs.

OR

THESIS
On the chickenfoot below, write your thesis and your roadmap. Your thesis always an opinion and
should answer the big question. Your roadmap is created from your bucket labels and lists topic areas
you will address in order to prove your thesis.

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

ESSAY OUTLINE
Working Title

Paragraph #1
Grabber:
Background:
Stating the question (in own words):
Thesis and Roadmap:

Paragraph #2
Baby Thesis for Bucket One:
Evidence (support from documents):
Argument (connect evidence to thesis):

Paragraph #3
Baby Thesis for Bucket Two:
Evidence (support from documents):
Argument (connect evidence to thesis):

Paragraph #4
Baby Thesis for Bucket Three:
Evidence (support from documents):
Argument (connect evidence to thesis):

Paragraph #5
Conclusion (restate thesis with wrinkle):
8

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

DBQ FINAL ESSAY

DBQ in Mathematics

Should High School Students Have to Take Algebra?

10