Hot websites

Teaching Pre K-8, Jan 2003 by Lindroth, Linda

The Internet is rich with examples of why we must learn math in school

This month's websites focus on math, how we are surrounded by math and its principles in the "real world." Many of the resources on the Intemet are rich with examples of why we must learn math in school. Here are some resources that are sure to turn your students on to numbers.

What Good is Math?

oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/ as/education/projects/webunits/ math/home.htm

Here's a great resource from Math Alive for helping students to understand "realworld" math. Follow the strategies to calculate your grades (and predict grades, too), calculate the sales on a shopping spree, plan a trip (maybe figure costs for that end-of-the year trip!), practice your fractions with recipes for a school party and build your economics IQ with checking and savings account activities. Still looking for more examples? Just click on "Mathletics" to see how math is used in sports!

Cool Math 4 Kids

www.coolmath.com/

Cool really is the word for this website! "The Amusement Park of Math and More" section includes "Lemonade Stand," which is a challenging simulation where students have full control of decision-making, dozens of Brain Benders to exercise math skills with topics ranging from alphabet soup to geometry and math games to challenge students preschool to adult. Every teacher will want to explore the Calculators activities in the Amusement Park. There's even a CoolMath Algebra area.

U.S. Treasury - Kids

www.treas.gov/kids/

Here's a true treasure of math resources for the classroom - and all of them are free links to government websites designed especially for kids. The links of interest to the math curriculum are the U.S. Mint, FirstGov and Savings Bonds. * U.S. Mint - Hip Pocket Change will have your students investigating facts as they study the Fifty States Quarters from the U.S. Mint. Lesson plans, interactive games and a Time Machine of U.S. History make this a must-visit for K-12 classrooms.

* FirstGov - This extensive web resource links to specially designed kids' sites for dozens of government agencies and other organizations. Use the WebQuest to guide student exploration of these informational websites.

Any one of the 20 categories will provide enrichment and support for a year-- long study of each of the content areas. Click on "Money" to investigate the U.S. Mint, banking, taxes, consumerism and our economy. Take a look at "History" for links to the Smithsonian, exhibits at the Library of Congress, Presidents and First Ladies and Today in History. You'll be able to investigate Space and CyberSafety, too.

* Savings Bonds - Money Math: Lessons for Life is an interesting curriculum unit on savings and bonds that is sure to inspire your students to explore the U.S. economy.

Linda Lindroth is a K-5 Technology Teacher, a Teaching Editor and Website Coordinator for Teaching K-8. E-mail: Linda@TeachingK-8.com