I found this great math site by Glencoe on a blog I recently started following, InTech InSights by Karen Ogen. I am always looking for ways to practice the online tools that are similar to those used in testing, and this site has both a ruler (which doesn’t have the zero line at the end) and a protractor. Not only is is great for testing, there are tons of other manipulatives, workmats, storyboards, and game mats available (Base Ten blocks and boards, balance activities, calendars, grids, clocks, money, shapes, spinners, thermometers, counters, fraction pieces, and a bunch of other items). The site is great for PK-8th grade, and will work well on the ActivBoard! Check it out!
Category: Math
World Maths Day
Students at Oak Grove Elementary participated in World Maths Day on March 3, an event in which students all across the world work to answer mental math as quickly as possible. Students had the opportunity to practice and then compete with students from many different countries, and collectively answered 21,211 math problems correctly on the day of the event. Unfortunately, the site did get very full and slow on the actual event day. However, ahead of time, students practiced and answered 38,958 problems correctly! Way to go Oak Grove!!
In the event this year, 1,133,246 students and 56,082 schools from 235 countries united to set a new world record by correctly answering 479,732,613 questions. That’s a lot of math!!
Next year we hope to use the World Maths Day ipod app to participate in the event. You can even use the app now to play now and practice your facts! Hopefully next year the date won’t fall during SOL testing. 🙂
A big thanks to Mrs. Tyler who coordinated and lead the event, and all the teachers who participated (Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Wiggington, Mr. Summers, Mrs. Atkins, and Mrs. Glowenski).
Third Grade Subtraction Voicethreads
Students in Mrs. Devlin’s Class have created these voicethreads to practice subtraction, teach others how to subtract, and see if anyone has a different way. Check them out, and feel free to comment with your own method!
Subtracting Numbers without Regrouping
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=753061
Subtracting Numbers with One Regroup
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=753020
Subtracting Numbers with More than One Regroup
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=753017
Subtracting Numbers Across Zeros
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=753007
Note: We did realize that you could keep the writing from fading towards the end of the project. To see how, read how to increase writing time in voicethread.
Pirate Geocachin’ with Second Grade Sprogs–ARRR!
What do pirates, 2nd graders, gps units, and math all have in common? Pirate geocaching, of course!
This summer, I had the opportunity to work with a great bunch of 2nd graders during summer school. This group loved technology, and so I decided to organize a Math review using our GPS units. Since it was summer time, and we were reading stories about pirates and the ocean, the theme naturally lent itself to pirates! Plus pirates are really fun!!
So, here’s how it all went down:
1) I organized the caches the students needed to find around the pirate theme. At each cache, students needed to solve a 2nd grade math problem to know what to bring back to the “Captain.” A big thanks to Joani Sotherden, Kathy Smith and Diane Rose for this part of the project! They helped me come up with the problems for each cache.
Download cache questions (Print on Avery size 8164 labels).
Here are pictures of the caches and their contents:
http://photopeach.com/public/swf/story.swf
Next, Meg Swecker joined me one afternoon to help find great hiding spots for the six caches around South Salem Elementary. We programed in each location on six gps units.
Judy Fisher (the other second grade teacher) and I rounded up some adults to help lead each group. We also organized our two 2nd grade classes into six different teams of four students each. Then morning before the event, we hid the caches in their spots. A clipboard was made for each team that consisted of:
- a ziplock baggie (for the loot)
- a list of caches to find (in a different order for each team)
- scrap paper
- the rules and tips and tricks and job responsibilities
- a pencil
Download Directions and Tips and Tricks
Right before we went out to do the activity, we gave the students pirate hats (free from Long John Silvers), set up the scenario, gave some basic rules, and assigned teams.
Each team was given their clipboard. The adults quickly showed their group of students how to use the gps units, and they were off!
It was so much fun! Everyone had a blast, and I was amazed to see students who struggled to complete work at their desks take lead rolls as they trekked around the schoolyard solving math problems.
A big thanks to all those people who showed up to learn about geocaching or to lend a hand, including…
Co-Teacher: Judy Fisher (she also supplied the awesome pirate hats)
Group Leaders: Judy’s son–“Mr. Fisher,” Hunter Routt, Sherri Tompkins, Debbie Stanley
Photographer : Diane Rose
Math Problems: Joani Sotherden, Kathy Smith and Diane Rose
Partner-in-Crime: Meg Swecker (who’s always up for an adventure, pirate or otherwise)
Here are some other fun pirate resources:
Magic Treehouse: Pirates at Past Noon by Mary Pope Osbourne
Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker
(This book is great for a writing prompt, especially writing asking and telling sentences).
People in Order (1-100)
I ran across this video posted on the ICT U Can! blog and I just had to share it! Too bad we’ve already passed the 100th day of school…this would be perfect to show! Remind me, and I’ll send it out next year around that time.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/GUHLa1qSy24" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Teaching with Technology 
