Dear teacher,

Welcome! The Problems with a Point development team is pleased you’ve chosen to look at our problem sequences. These sequences are drawn from many sources. Some are written and submitted by teachers like you: favorite problems they’ve used effectively with their students. Some are adapted from various problem books published around the world. Some are developed and all are checked and edited by our team of mathematicians and professional curriculum writers for students in grades 6 through 12.

The problems and sequences can be used in various ways.

• You can assign them to your students as a part of your curriculum.

• You may also use these problems with your students in various extracurricular activities: with math clubs, as preparation for math competitions, as tutoring materials, or as materials for family math activities and home schoolers.

• You can use these problems for assessment of your students. Students’ solutions to these problems will tell you both about their skill development and about their understanding of mathematical concepts. Because many of the problems ask students to explain their reasoning, these sets may also help you identify certain student misconceptions.

We have tried to develop and select problem sequences of types that are not already widely available: carefully structured sequences that develop new mathematical ideas in the course of practicing old ones, sequences that connect mathematical ideas, and sequences that develop deeper insight into familiar ideas by revisiting them in unfamiliar ways. For this reason, some of these sets have been of interest even in math department meetings and for professional development days. If you have suggestions or comments about how these problems could be used, please contact us.

Thank you for visiting and using the Problems with a Point Web site. We wish you success!

Sincerely,

The Problems with a Point Development Team