Math+Ideas

=Math Ideas= Online math games have evolved from simple drills to more sophisticated activities that foster critical thinking. Below are some activities that I think are interesting. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (link) has excellent applets. MathTools (link) has a searchable catalog of online and offline activities.

__Minor Activities__
> http://www.tutpup.com/plays/new/1-maths-game
 * 1) Our first activity was an offline activity that encourages students to find the highest number using arithmetic operations (see picture below). As they progress through the activity, they are doing ten to twenty calculations - without knowing it. I'm not sure that students would be as happy doing a worksheet of 10 to 20 problems.
 * 2) Simulations can be used to help students understand concepts faster than by doing lots of problems. Here is a protractor tutorial (link) and a simple protractor applet (link) Here is a simple geometry simulation for discovering the relationship between complimentary angles (link). The power of this activity comes from the teacher providing thought-provoking questions beyond the "book" definition. For example, does the angle change when you move points A & D closer to point B? Find angles where there is only one line visible. Draw the picture of what you see. Find angles when all angles are the same. Draw the picture of what you see. Find an angle where
 * 3) Want an easy activity to teach them the properties of geometric figures? --> try this competitive game to draw a figure as accurately as possible (http://woodgears.ca/eyeball)
 * 4) Students love to compete against each other and other schools. These websites have many games from which to choose http://www.xpmath.com
 * 1) Want a challenging way for students to understand the properties of all major geometric figures? --> try this venn diagram classification activity http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=34
 * 2) Want a fun way to teach map distance and scale? --> http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ImageTool

__Major Activities__

 * 1) If you want students to wrestle with challenging math problems, then check out the **Lure of the Labyrinth** (http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/educators.php). It is a game where students try and solve ten different games - each with three levels of difficulty. They can work with a partner and use a built-in chat function to strategize. The aspect of the game I like most is that students can't chat //during// the game. They can only chat between games. This makes them reflect on the games and think to remember details.
 * 2) If you want students to run a business, then have them try the **Coffee Shop** (http://hoodamath.com/games/coffeeshopgame.php). In this game, they buy supplies to make coffee (cups, coffee, milk, sugar) and determine how much they will add to each cup of coffee. They also determine the cost of each cup. They are trying to make as much money as they can in 14 days. They need to be mindful of their reputation and the weather.