One of Richard's posts from this week is '10 Good Math Resources for Teachers and Students'. After solely teaching science for four years I was 'volun-told' that I would be teaching a Tier 2 math class this year. To make a long story short, the class that I planned for and stressed over all summer long has turned into my favorite class of the day. In his post, Richard mentions numerous resources that I could implement in class this week (and look forward to doing so!). My favorite suggestions are the Math Challenges. Those three challenges are reviewed below:
1) Expii Solve
Expii Solve is a series of word problems that are designed to relate to real life. These problems vary in difficulty level so it is easy to assign different problems to students at various ability levels (which is PERFECT for my Tier 2 class). As students work through the problems, they are able to receive instant feedback as they try and solve the problems. If a student is struggling, they are able to receive hints along with each problem.
2) Would You Rather?
This website offers a way of sharing quick math challenges through 'Would You Rather' questions. I could easily incorporate these into my math or science classes as bell ringers or Kagan team building activities. Although the problems are math related, I could see some great conversations getting started between my middle school students.
3) Math Pickle
Math Pickle is another site that offers challenging puzzles for students. I particularly like this resource because it is very similar to the popular breakout games that my students love to participate in on the weekends in our area. The puzzles are a series of connected problems that must be completed in order to successfully solve the puzzle. The colors in the images are even ideal for color blind students!
These are three tools that I had never heard of until following Richard Byrne's blog. I am very excited to play with these sites a little more and begin implementing them in my classes.
1) Expii Solve
Expii Solve is a series of word problems that are designed to relate to real life. These problems vary in difficulty level so it is easy to assign different problems to students at various ability levels (which is PERFECT for my Tier 2 class). As students work through the problems, they are able to receive instant feedback as they try and solve the problems. If a student is struggling, they are able to receive hints along with each problem.
2) Would You Rather?
This website offers a way of sharing quick math challenges through 'Would You Rather' questions. I could easily incorporate these into my math or science classes as bell ringers or Kagan team building activities. Although the problems are math related, I could see some great conversations getting started between my middle school students.
3) Math Pickle
Math Pickle is another site that offers challenging puzzles for students. I particularly like this resource because it is very similar to the popular breakout games that my students love to participate in on the weekends in our area. The puzzles are a series of connected problems that must be completed in order to successfully solve the puzzle. The colors in the images are even ideal for color blind students!
These are three tools that I had never heard of until following Richard Byrne's blog. I am very excited to play with these sites a little more and begin implementing them in my classes.
LeAnn,
ReplyDeleteI really like the sounds of some of these activities. I feel like math is something that can become so boring to the students. Do you know the ages for which these activities are designed? I teach third grade and by 1:30 when we are in the thick of our math lesson, my students are definitely starting to lose it. I would love to use more engaging approaches.