maths – Page 8 – iLearn Technology

iboard: Balancing Animals

December 16, 2009Kelly Tenkely3 Comments3189 views

What it is: Balancing Animals is another fun activity for your interactive whiteboard that lets students use animals as ‘non-standard’ units to weigh others. Students can drag an animal (or animals) up to the scale, other students try to balance the scale by choosing animals that would cause the scale to be balanced.

How to integrate Balancing Animals into the classroom: Balancing Animals is a nice visual for students to use to learn about weight. Choose an animal to weigh and drag it to the scale. Encourage students to whisper a guess of how many animals it would take to balance the scale to their elbow buddy (the student next to them). Groups of students can come to the board and test out their guesses. This game could be completed on an interactive whiteboard or on classroom computers as a math center.

Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased. Balancing Animals is one of their freebie samples.

Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Balancing Animals in your classroom.

iboard: Visual Numbers

December 14, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1494 views

What it is: Visual Numbers is another great sample application from iboard for interactive whiteboards. Visual Numbers lets students add numbers (1-20) to the workspace above. You can show or hide counters to represent each number. This is a fantastic visual for students learning how to count, add, subtract, or multiply.

How to integrate iboard: Visual Numbers into the classroom: Visual Numbers will help your students to visualize number concepts. Ask students to add all the numbers on the workspace without the spots, then reveal the spots for students to check their answers. Put several numbers in the workspace and ask students to order numbers from smallest to largest. Reveal the spots so that students can check their answers and visualize which numbers are smallest and which are largest. Teach beginning multiplication skills by putting groups of numbers on the board (for example three groups of eight). Students can visualize what 3 groups of 8 looks like by revealing the spots. Visual Numbers is wonderful for the interactive whiteboard or as a math center on classroom computers.

Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased. Visual Numbers is one of their freebie samples.

Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Visual Numbers in your classroom.

iboard: Interactive Number Square

December 14, 2009December 14, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments2932 views

What it is: Interactive Number Square is another great sample application from iboard for interactive whiteboards. This number grid is versatile allowing you to hide numbers, change the color of squares, change the start number of the grid, add more or less columns and rows, and choose a step number.

How to integrate iboard: Interactive Number Square into the classroom: Interactive Number Square is a wonderful tool for teaching various number concepts. Hide some numbers and ask students to determine which numbers are missing based on those left on the board. Ask them if the numbers are in a pattern, go up in steps of 1, 2, 5, etc. Create a number pattern and hide the answers. Encourage students to keep the pattern going as long as they can and then invite students to check their answers on the Number Square. The Number Square can be used for everything from counting, to learning multiples, to skip counting, to adding, to introducing algebraic concepts and understanding number relationships. Students can interact with the Number Square on an interactive whiteboard or on classroom computers as a math center.

Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased. Interactive Number Square one of their freebie samples.

Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Interactive Number Square in your classroom.

Math Nook: Counting Money

November 9, 2009November 10, 2009Kelly Tenkely5 Comments1837 views

What it is: Math Nook is a website with a collection of great flash based math games. Counting Money is a fun little game from this website. In this game students man a cash register and are given a target number to give change for. This game allows for multiple solutions. For example, if the target is ten cents, students could give a dime, two nickels, or ten pennies. Any of these answers would be considered correct. Target numbers are given in number and written form (0.10 and ten cents).

How to integrate Math Nook: Counting Money into the classroom: Counting Money would make a great math center on classroom computers. Students can take turns manning the cash register. Keep a class tally of the high score for this game and see how high the students can go. If you have an interactive whiteboard, students could take turns returning change. After the student at the board gives the solution, ask students what other coin combinations would have worked to solve the problem. You could also turn Counting Money into a whole class game by splitting your class into teams and keeping score separately.

Tips: Thanks to @cwebbtech for sending me the ad free version of this game! Update: The ad free version URL does not always work so I changed the links back to the ad supported version.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Math Nook: Counting Money in your classroom.

Fantastic Flexible Foldables

October 25, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments4597 views

What it is: I love online activities that students can take part in, but because most of us don’t have the luxury of a 1 to 1 school setting, good old paper manipulatives are winners in the classroom. Fantastic Flexible Foldables is a collection of mini math books and games that you can print out and create with your students. You and your students can create a fraction mini-book, a factors and multiples mini-book, a fortune teller fractor game, a geometry tetraflexagon, an integer infinity square, Flippers (fraction, decimal, music), and lines trihexaflexagon. These foldables help your students to interact with and practice math concepts that can be difficult to grasp apart from manipulatives where they can see the problems worked out. The Flexible Foldables by Carol DeFreese are well thought out and have step by step picture instructions for folding and using these with your students. Carol has also generously provided blank foldable templates that you can download and use to create your own foldables.

How to integrate Fantastic Flexible Foldables into the classroom: These foldable templates really are fantastic. They are a wonderful addition to the math classroom. Even if you don’t focus on any of the skills that Carol has created foldables for, download her blank templates and create foldables that will help your students learn difficult math concepts. These foldables will help your students visulaize and interact with math in new ways. This is an incredible resource and even more incredible that it is free! Sometimes the best part of technology is the way it allows for the sharing of ideas and teaching methods… this site is proof of that!

Tips: Files on the Fantastic Foldables site are in pdf or .doc formats.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Fantastic Flexible Foldables in your classroom.

Kids Numbers

October 22, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment1854 views

What it is: Kids Numbers is a website from the Kids Knowit Network (they also have spelling, biology, history, etc. sites). Kids Numbers is a free collection of resources for the math classroom. Math skills include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, telling time, mixed skills, geometry, and Algebra. When you select a skill to focus on, you will get a week by week break down of skills to practice and accompanying online games and activities. There are games to play and mini tutorials to go through that will teach the foundational skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Everything on Kids Numbers is research based and designed by teachers to increase your students math abilities.

How to integrate Kids Numbers into the classroom: I love the way the mini tutorials on Kids Numbers teach students foundational math skills. They are easy to follow along and perfect for your visual learners. Throughout the tutorial students are asked to participate by counting, sorting, etc. There are games aligned to each skill that act as a practice area for the skill. This is a great site to keep on your classroom computers as a math center year-round. Students can use Kids Numbers to learn new skills, review skills that have been taught, or practice skills that they are learning in the math classroom. Kids Numbers could be an excellent homework helper for students who are getting hung up on the basics and need a little extra help.

Tips: Kids Numbers does have advertisements on their pages. Help your students identify the advertisements and use this as a learning opportunity about what an ad is and what they are used for. Identify the differences between advertisement links and game and activity links on the site.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Kids Numbers in your classroom.

Math Apprentice

October 11, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1773 views

What it is: Math Apprentice is an awesome flash site that shows kids how math is used in the real world, with real world jobs. Students can explore math through games that feature bicycle designers, biologists, artists, mechanics, inventors, doctors, engineers, astronomers, game designers, programmers, chefs, veterinarians, sportscasters, and meteorologists. Students can explore the math of these jobs as a math apprentice by selecting a character and cruising around a virtual world where they can visit places of business where math happens. The character describes how they use math and provides a fun interactive activity that gives students a chance to practice using the math.

How to integrate Math Apprentice into the classroom: Math Apprentice is a fantastic site that teaches students about how math is used in the real world. Students are often asking “where will I use this?” of math. This site answers those questions through a fun virtual world. Kids can explore first hand how math is used and then act as an apprentice and solve problems. Use this website in the computer lab where students can explore the virtual world individually and work through the math at their own pace.

Tips: To begin playing the Math Apprentice games, you have to click on “Explore the Math” button on the bottom of the homepage.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Math Apprentice in your classroom.

iPlay Math Games

September 12, 2009Kelly Tenkely6 Comments3327 views

What it is: iPlay Math Games is an outstanding collection of printable math games for grades k-12. Math games can be searched by grade level or skill. These math games are printable pdf files and can be played with common items (dice, cards, and other manipulatives). iPlay Math Games helps students build math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, long division, measurement, graphing and exponents, problem solving, puzzles and games, geometry, probability, reasoning, logic, numeration, patterns, and counting.

How to integrate iPlay Math Games into the classroom: iPlay Math Games is an excellent collection of printable math games that can be downloaded and printed out for the classroom. Use these games as math center activities, and to reinforce math skills being learned. These games are a great way for students to practice math skills sans worksheet.

Tips: iPlay Math Games has not always been a free resource, take advantage of the new free status!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using iPlay Math Games in your classroom.

Tangram House

August 5, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2047 views

What it is: I love tangram puzzles, so when I found Tangram House I was thrilled. This online version of the Chinese puzzle lets students select a puzzle to complete and work with 7 tans (shapes) to fill the puzzle. The tans can be rotated, flipped, and dragged into place. The puzzles can be completed online or downloaded for free as an offline game.

How to integrate Tangram House into the classroom: The format of this website would be appropriate for an interactive whiteboard activity. Split students into teams that will take turns at the board forming the tangrams. Encourage the students who are not at the board to help out with good directions and clues for the student working on the puzzle. This is a good way for kids to practice giving and receiving quality instructions and descriptions. Tangram House could also be used on classroom computers as a math learning center or individually in a computer lab setting.

Tips: Play online or download for free and play offline.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Tangram House in your classroom.

The Stock Market Game

June 16, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2336 views

What it is: The Stock Market Game gives students the chance to practice hands on real-world math. Each student gets the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio. While playing the game, students learn economic and financial concepts that they will use the rest of their lives. The Stock Market Game is intended for students in 4-12 grades. Teachers can register teams of 3 to 5 students. Teachers can register for a FREE team, teachers who want to test out the game before using with their students can register for a FREE teacher team. The cost for actually participating is $10 per team. When teams register they will receive all game materials, state standards that are reached with the Stock Market Game, The math behind the market (units covering math concepts using the Stock Market Game), standards-based lesson plans using the local newspaper, two newspapers per team (Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday), daily accessiblity and support to the Stock Market Game coordinator and staff, an online learning resource center with teaching activities for various grade levels, and a free teacher team. If you do decide to register students as a team, that $10 stretches far!

How to integrate Stock Market Game into the classroom: Students constantly question how they will use math concepts in real life. The Stock Market Game will give them a window into real-life use of mathematics. Students will also gain valuable life skills that they can use outside of school, I wish that I had learned the basics of the stock market in the safety of the classroom using virtual money instead of actual money my first go round!

Tips: Prizes are awarded for winning teams, be sure to look into this soon if you plan on using in your classroom…there is some pre-preparation required.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using The Stock Market Game in your classroom.