Math games

Instructor, April, 2004 by Kathy Schrock

These sites, packed with fun interactive games and downloadable worksheets, will give students the problem-solving practice they need to succeed.

KING'S LIST OF ONLINE MATH ACTIVITIES

www.k111.k12.il.us/king/math.htm

Start your search for online math activities here: This excellent site offers an extensive, teacher-created list of links to interactive math sites divided by topic. You'll be directed to terrific resources such as www.moneyopolis.com, where kids can help an alien learn how to make change, budget, and more.

CYBERCHASE: WEB GAMES

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games

At this colorful, kid-friendly site, middle and upper graders will have a blast solving codes to save the "cyber citizens" of Valussa--while practicing their analytical thinking skills, too.

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Other math games on this site cover topics such as graphing, patterns, and more. Check out what might be applicable to your curriculum, but be warned--you may get hooked.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF VIRTUAL MANIPULATIVES FOR INTERACTIVE MATHEMATICS

http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/vlibrary.html

Younger students visiting this large library of math games will love helping a ladybug hide behind a leaf, while their older counterparts will dive into tessellation challenges and explore simple fractals. Meanwhile, you can check out the NCTM standards that each activity targets.

PROJECT INTERACTIVATE

www.shodor.org/interactivate

Are your middle schoolers tired of board work? Reinvigorate your lessons using the resources at this site, which include a "number cruncher" that challenges students to identify a mystery function and a "perimeter explorer," great for practicing beginning geometry. Don't miss the "Tools" section of this site, which offers free online calculators, converters, and graphing applications.

KIDZONE: MATH

www.kidzone.ws/math

It's "just the facts, ma'am" at this useful site, which offers online games and downloadable worksheets on the basics: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Have a collection of the worksheets on hand to fill a few minutes of free time--and provide valuable practice for standardized tests.

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LAURA CANDLER'S FILE CABINET: MATH ACTIVITIES

http://home.att.net/-clnetwork/math.htm

Laura Candler is one of many math instructors who share materials with other teachers via the Web. However, her site is a standout because it is so comprehensive. Many of her lessons offer a fresh take on basic concepts; check out the inventive "Mr. Gallon" unit, which brings much needed life to studying measurement.

RHL SCHOOL: MATH PROBLEMSOLVING WORKSHEETS

www.rhlschool.com/math.htm

When it's the day before a school vacation and you want to use every last minute for learning, hook your antsy mathematicians with the seasonal worksheets provided here. Kids will love the challenging short word-problems, which will help to develop their higher-order thinking skills.

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COUNTDOWN

http://countdown.luc.edu

This site's for you more than the kids, but the tips and techniques you'll find here are guaranteed to improve your students' learning. Spend just a few minutes watching the archived video clips from Countdown, an acclaimed but largely unknown TV show illustrating math concepts, and you'll have a whole new bag of tricks for your classroom.

Kathy Schrock (www.kathyschrock.net) is the administrator for technology at Nauset Public Schools, in Orleans, Massachusetts.