Sunday, June 12, 2011

The Book: Playing With Math is Ready for the Reader Response Team

Artwork by Linda Palter.
Playing With Math: Stories from Math Circles, Homeschoolers, and the Internet - a book by 35 authors - is almost ready. I've collected some great blog posts and posts from email groups; I've transcribed speeches and talks, and solicited chapters written especially for the book. All of these authors have collaborated with me to put together a book full of the vibrancy and joy of people who love math (and a few who don't). After every chapter is a puzzle or game, designed to pull the reader into our world. It's pretty exciting.

The manuscript is getting tighter every day. At this point, it really needs more eyes. So here's the idea Maria Droujkova, founder of Natural Math (my publisher), came up with:
If you'd like an early peek at the book and the glory of being in the acknowledgements, you can sign up to be a part of the Reader Response Team. You'll get 3 to 5 chapters a week to read (starting this Wednesday). We don't need close editing for grammar and spelling at this point. What we need is your opinions as reviewers: What works? What doesn't? What's missing? And a rating for each chapter (Keep, Toss, or Wow!).

You'll make a commitment to review the chapters within the week; it will take 11 weeks to read through the whole book. (Or you can pick the Summer Speed Reading option, and get the whole manuscript all at once.) Each week, discussions among the Reader Response Team will bring new depth to the already wonderful writing.

We are especially looking for people who love to read and do not like math. You are our acid test of the book!

To join the Reader Response Team, comment here with your email address or email me at mathanthologyeditor at gmail. The first 30 volunteers are in. Those of you who have a chapter in the book are welcome to get a manuscript from me, but we'll let other folks be on the Reader Response Team.

If you'd like to contribute in any other way, let me know. Any questions?

35 comments:

  1. Whether you like math or don't like it, whether you think you're good at it or not, if you would like to read the manuscript, rate the chapters, and provide a bit of feedback for each chapter, you qualify. Email me.

    In the hour since I posted, 4 people have joined the RRT. (Yeay!) I have to go to bed now. Will I wake up to dozens of eager volunteers in the morning?

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  2. Sounds fun. I emailed you and sent out a tweet letting people know.

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  3. I'd be inerested in helping out! Long time lurker...... Mary G

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  4. I would love to be a reader. I am your target audience personified - an interested reader and a non-mathy person.
    My email is mlowry@mi.rr.com

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  5. Mary G, I need your email address. (Or you can email me, at mathanthologyeditor on gmail.)

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  6. Sue,
    jlnwebster [at] googlemail [dot] com
    please =] thanks.

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  7. Congratulations! This is a much needed book. I can't offer to be an early reader (I already work as a book editor and am swamped) but I can send you a book evaluation form you might want to use and I can also offer to write an endorsement if you're interested.

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  8. Thank you all!

    Laura, I would love the book evaluation form (please email it to mathanthologyeditor on gmail), and I'll send you a copy of the book when we're done, so you can give a knowledgeable endorsement. Thanks!

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  9. I love to read and I DO like math, but I'd love to be a part of the project, if you have me.
    mathcurmudgeon@gmail.com

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  10. Hi Sue,

    I would love to be on the RRT! I love to read and I kind of like math. :)

    I heard about your book from Tiffani's blog. My email is rinnyboo@yahoo.com

    Thanks!

    Marin

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  11. I have heard many great things about this. I belonged to Maria D's group. I started a math group with our homeschooling group. I do enjoy math, so I am not sure if you want my help. I offer it if you do.

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  12. I got Curmudgeon and Rinnyboo. Proud Mama, email me at mathanthologyeditor on gmail, or post your email address, so I can add you in. (Yes! I want your help!)

    We have 32 people signed up for the Reader Response Team now. For the rest of today, I'll take anyone who's super-eager to do it. Then I'll close it, so I can be done with fussing around with Google groups, and get back to editing.

    Thanks!

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  13. I am interested in being in the reader response team. It sounds like a very cool opportunity!

    ecw _ 74 at yahoo dot com

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  14. I'll email you! Hopefully I snuck in under the wire. I have a 2 year old we arelearning with at home, and my wife and I both did computer science but preferred math pbs shows to math class in most instances!

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  15. Would love to get in, but I appear too late--while I have always enjoyed math I am homeschoolin mama to some math haters.

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  16. Got your email, JMaltman, you're in.

    SillyGooseMama, if you email me, I'll put you on a waiting list. If we need some fresh perspective, we'll pull in a few more people later (maybe in a few weeks or a month).

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  17. While I appear to be late to the party, I'd still be interested in joining the wait list.

    I'm teaching summer school Algebra 1 starting next week, and would love some fun resources to help break up the four-hour blocks of time we've got and maybe help my kids get over their math-phobias.

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  18. Emily, email me at mathanthologyeditor on gmail to get on the waiting list.

    Meanwhile, check out Jame Tanton's site (jamestanton.com), and his book, Math Without Words. Also check out Dan Meyer's algebra resources at http://algebra.mrmeyer.com/.

    I use google bookmarks to keep track of links. I just made my algebra links into a list that I made public. I've never tried this before. If it works, there are 25 links on the list that you might find helpful.

    And email me if there's anything more I can do to help.

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  19. I'd love to be in!
    clangrondines@gmail.com

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  20. Thanks for your interest.

    I got well over 30 people by the end of Monday. I closed the group so they can all start together. You are the fourth on the waiting list, if you're still interested. I think we'll need some fresh perspective in a few weeks, so we'll pull in a few more people then.

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  21. I'd love to be a part of this. I'm not a math fan, and my 11yo homeschooled son was diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 7 (and again this month). Math has been the source of many tears in our homeschool journey!

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  22. Oh boy, this is going to be an interesting one.. Just hoping we could hop in. :(

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  23. I'll keep adding people to the waiting list, and we'll probably use that help later. This wonderful response is so heartening to me, and to Maria, who will be using this method with other books later.

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  24. wow cool.
    sue + maria =
    got-got-it-going-on.
    i've seen early versions of
    most of this stuff and
    your team is in for a treat.
    this dozens-of-eager-volunteers
    thing is fantastic. congratulations!

    always at play.
    V.

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  25. Aww, Owen, you might just make me cry. You gonna write us a song?

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  26. Hi Sue, I just learned about this and I see there is a waiting list but I am very interested in the subject and the book when it is ready!
    I am a scientific illustrator and I love the beauty of 'math' in the natural world but I have hated "doing math" since I was was a kid!
    Looking forward to it.
    Megan

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  27. Megan, would you please email me at mathanthologyeditor on gmail? I am very interested in talking to a 'scientific illustrator'.

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  28. I would love to read it and give feedback. I hated math growing up, and am homeschooling my son, and while we are having a fun time with math right now, I don't know I am doing, at least potentially, in the long run.

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  29. Please email me at mathanthologyeditor on gmail. I'll put you on the waiting list.

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  30. Hi Sue,
    Just ran across your website. My mind is so open to teaching to the different intelligences and temperaments. I am a Pre-K teaching & always looking for a different ways to include Math, it's so easy for this 4-5 year olds. Would love to be on the waiting list if you'll have me. Good Luck with this great project.

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  31. I'd love to be part of the team! I love reading and math, but my 11 year old homeschooled daughter would be more of a reading lover, eh, math...not so much... We could be a partnership in helping, if you'd have us. Mamachristie6 on gmail.

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  32. Hmm, I think you have to type in your email address to post a comment. But, I don't get to see it. (Weird, huh?)

    If you want on the waiting list, you need to email me at mathanthologyeditor on gmail. Please do.

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  33. Oops! Sorry, Christie, I didn't see that you included your email. I'll add you. (And I think we're going to bring in everyone on the waiting list in a day or two. More on that by email.)

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