Gearing up
for Lower School Math
Math Sites
Please remember that the sites listed below are "out on the
Internet" and not part of our school's site. Please see our note to parents about the Internet.
Figure This!
http://www.figurethis.org/
This site has problems aimed at middle schoolers. Some of our fourth and fifth graders may
find them fun and challenging. The site has answers to each problem, extention problems,
interesting facts about where the math in the problem is used in the world, and links to
other sites about that topic. This may be one for parents and kids to do together. If
Aunty Math is too easy for you, try this. Have fun.
A+ Math
http://www.aplusmath.com
This is a drill and practice site for arithmetic skills. You can do flashcards or play
games like Concentration and Hidden Picture. You can work on whole number and fraction
calculations as well as rounding, area and even some algebra. The site also offers to
check any calculation you have already done and let you know if it's correct. Soon there
will also be a "message board" in which you will be able to chat with others
about math.
Maya Math
http://users.ccnet.com/~laplaza/maya/maya.htm
On this site you can learn how the ancient Maya people wrote numbers and performed
calculations. You can learn what symbols they used, what they meant and then do
calculations with them. The questions are quite simple at first but get fairly complicated
as you progress. This looks like a site in which children and adults might very well be on
a level playing field. The site also contains lovely pictures of Maya art and artifacts,
other information about the Maya, as well as links to other related sites.
Everyday Math Games
http://www.EMgames.com
These are drill and practice games that are very similar to the ones used in the Everyday
Math program we use here at school. There are games for all levels of the lower
school.
Aunty Math
http://dupagechildrensmuseum.org/aunty/index.html
This is a site with interesting puzzles to solve. Aunt Mathilda (Aunty Math for short)
poses new problems every two weeks. Students in grades K-5 can submit solutions to Aunty
Math, and she promises a personal reply to each submission. She also lists the names of
people who have submitted correct solutions. Aunty Math offers ideas for parents about how
to think about the problems with children. Part of the problem for the week of April 12,
1999 went like this: " I am between 50 and 60. My age is an even number. I am older
than the number of cards in a regular deck of cards. I am 5 years younger than my husband
but 8 years older than my sister. The sum of the digits in my age is not a two digit
number!" Can you guess Aunty's age? If you don't like the current problem, there is
an archive all past problems which you can also try.
Ask Dr. Math Ask Dr. Math is a question and answer service for K-12 math students and their teachers. A searchable archive is available by level and topic, as well as summaries of Frequently Asked Questions (the Dr. Math FAQ).
The
Math Forum For Parents and Concerned Citizens
Information about The Math Forum and links to other math sites for parents.
Elementary Problem
of the Week
Try your hand at the Elementary Problem of the Week at The Math Forum.
Student Tessellations
In February and March, students in Ohio and California created tessellations inspired by Suzanne Alejandre's Tessellation Tutorials: http://forum.swarthmore.edu/sum95/suzanne/tess.intro.html
Kenston Geometry Students
Create Tessellations
http://www.kenston.k12.oh.us/khs/math/top4.html
Over 200 geometry students at Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio participated in a
school tessellation project; 21 of the tessellations were chosen for display on the Web.
Student
Tessellations, Frisbie Middle School
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/alejandre/frisbie.html
Tessellations by students in Suzanne Alejandre's Computer Elective class at Frisbie Middle
School are shown. The students wrote poems to accompany their tessellations.
Math
Forum's Student Showcase:
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/students/showcase/
The Math Forum would be pleased to link to pages with your students' math projects and
mathematical artwork. Send us the URL(s) and we'll show off your students' creations in
the
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