Why is math important?
Math is a subject that many students have a hard time connecting to since they often do not see how it is relevant to their lives. In order to help answer these questions of relevance, with the support of this scholarship from the NCTM with an emphasis on the history of mathematics, I will create a thorough unit in which students learn how and why algebra was created. They will be exposed to the types of problems that mathematicians were solving without algebraic notation so that they can recognize the worth of variables. Additionally, they will learn about the main contributors of algebra so that they can see them as people with lives and struggles of their own. My goal is that once students can understand the roots of algebra, the humanity of algebra, they can begin to appreciate the usefulness and beauty of algebra.