Chapter 2: What Geometry In The Elementary School?

In the introduction to “Readings in Geometry” from The Arithmetic Teacher, a recent publication of the N.C.T.M., the editor traces the growth of teaching geometric concepts in the elementary schools by reporting the number of articles pertaining to geometry that have appeared in The Arithmetic Teacher. If this is an accurate measurement device it is clear that the interest in including geometric concepts in the elementary school mathematics curriculum is scarcely a decade old, and the main growth is within the past five years. The title of this article reflects this newborn interest in geometry—for if it had been written ten years ago the title might have “What? Geometry in the Elementary School?”