Math Goodies Blog

The Common Core Standards in Math

2012-01-20T12:26:00.014-05:00

The Common Core State Standards in mathematics (and reading) were released in June 2010. Launched by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core Standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to master to succeed in college and careers. As of this writing, the majority of states have formally adopted these standards.

As a classroom teacher of mathematics, I have experience with various curricula and math standards. In fact, when I first started teaching in the early 1990's, the NCTM had released a new set of standards. I also had the opportunity to participate in a curriculum writing project for a school district where I taught.

When I first learned of the Common Core Standards (CCSM), I was skeptical. At first glance, the CCSM seemed to be just another set of standards that math teachers would have to grapple with. However, having taken a closer look, I now believe that the CCSM could be the most successful standards ever embraced!

I explored the standards myself through by aligning my lessons to the standards for Grade 3. Next, I created a related standards for each unit of instruction. For example, For Unit 1, Perimeter and Area of Polygons, you can view related standards for that unit. It took some time, but I managed to create a set of related standards for each of my 14 units of instruction. This when I became excited about the ease and the transition of the CCSM, at least the domain mapping.

I attended a webinar about the CCSM. I learned that:

A small writing team created these standards, eliminating the politics that are usually associated with such projects.
The structure of the standards is by domains, not strands.
There is a focus on both conceptual understanding and computation.
These standards are intended for all states, removing the difficult separation across state lines.
There is a large advisory board to ensure that the needs of all states are addressed.
The CCSM will be a work-in-progress in which time is taken by the creators to reflect upon and improve these standards.

I am excited about the CCSM and hope you will join me as we explore together!

Math Connections

2011-12-19T12:13:00.004-05:00

I have always been fascinated by connections between math and other disciplines. From my experience, students are more motivated to learn math when these connections are made in the classroom. I have completely rewritten my article, Math Connections, which is devoted to connecting math with other disciplines, and with the real world. For example, Exponents and Scientific Notation, Graphing and Social Studies, Math and Technology, Percentages and the Consumer, and Math and Writing, are among the connection you will find. This article includes teaching ideas as well as links to related resources.

11-11-11 is a Special Palindromic Date

2011-11-11T16:22:00.002-05:00

Today, Veteran's Day, has special significance for many reasons. Today we honor all who have served in the armed forces. Today is also 11-11-11, a once-a-century palindrome. This date has special significance with regard to binary numbers, too. Now if you ask me, I think that's a lot of special meanings for one particular date, and I think it will show up in the history books someday!

Palindromes

2011-11-02T16:21:00.007-04:00

Palindromes are always fun for kids and adults alike. Today is a palindromic date (in the US that is): 11-02-2011. I created some Palindrome Puzzles with an interesting twist. Instead of a looking at word, phrase, number or date palindromes, I created some unique puzzle clues. Each clue has a math theme, the answer to which is a palindromic phrase or sentence. For example:

Clue 1: "What did the right triangle trade with the hairdresser?"
Answer 1: A leg for a jar of gel

After you have viewed a few of my puzzles --clue and answer included --you can try to solve one on your own. Be sure to post your answer to my Facebook page!

National Metric Week

2011-10-07T14:31:00.010-04:00

National Metric Week is celebrated each year during the week containing 10 October, which is the tenth day of the tenth month. This year, it will be celebrated October 9-15. The metric system, an international decimalized system of measurement, is now the official system of measurement used in every country in the world but three. The United States is the only industrialized country that is still yet to adopt it as its official system of measurement.

I first realized the importance of using metric units in my lessons in 1998. That was the year that I had my lessons translated into French by consultants based in Québec. As part of that project, I revised the English version of my lessons on Geometry and Measurement to include metric units. For example, Perimeter and Area of Polygons uses both metric and English units throughout. The same is true for Circumference and Area of Circles.

In any event, National Metric Week provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to acquaint students with the metric system, or to expand their knowledge about it. These ideas can be used throughout the school year to teach the metric system. Join my free newsletter to get the latest information about math news, site updates and special events.

The Wonder of Fractions

2011-05-25T14:58:00.014-04:00

The Wonder of Fractions has always intrigued me. When I set out to create lessons on this topic, I wanted to provide a presentation that was both visual and conceptual. This was no small undertaking, but if you view the lessons below, I think you will agree that I achieved what I set out to do. I spent months working with elementary teachers to ensure that the scope and sequence was right for this unit (Thanks Charlene and Debi!) I now have a complete curriculum that includes 14 units of instructions, with 5 of those units on Fractions, Decimals and Percents.

Introduction
Students learn the relationship between the part and the whole with shaded circles and rectangles. Unit fractions and non-routine shading is also presented.
Classifying Fractions
Fractions are classified as proper or improper both numerically and through shapes. Mixed numbers are also introduced.
Equivalent Fractions
Equivalent fractions are introduced. Fractions are evaluated to determine if they are equivalent or not. The procedure for finding an equivalent fraction of a given fraction is covered.
Simplifying Fractions
Students are shown how to simplify fractions by reducing them to lowest terms. Examples include both proper and improper fractions. GCF is shown to be the most efficient method for simplifying.
Comparing Fractions
Methods for comparing fractions with like and denominators are presented. LCD is introduced and applied.
Ordering Fractions
Students are shown how to order two or more fractions from least to greatest by comparing them two at a time. Problems are drawn from the real world.
Converting Fraction to Mixed Numbers
The notion of sharing and dividing is used to illustrate this conversion. Remainders are converted to their fractional equivalents.
Converting Mixed Numbers to Fractions
The procedure for this conversion is presented, along with a conceptual presentation through real world problems, with step-by-step solutions.
Practice Exercises
To complete 10 additional exercises as practice. To assess students' understanding of all fractional concepts learned in this unit.
Challenge Exercises
To solve 10 additional problems that challenge students' understanding of fractional concepts. To hone students' problem-solving skills.
Solutions
To review complete solutions to all exercises presented in this unit. Includes the problem, step-by-step solutions, and final answer for each exercise.

You can also try my Worksheets on Fractions, which are printables designed to supplement these lessons. Lots of visuals are included in these colorful worksheets.

Homework Help @ Math Goodies

2011-04-20T11:42:00.013-04:00

Need help with your math homework? Post a problem to our Homework Help Forums, a free math homework community created in 1999 by Math Goodies. Students get help with specific math homework problems. Visit our moderated forums, organized by course, as follows:

To protect your privacy, registration is required. Also, be sure to read and follow our posting rules.

Free drawing @ Math Goodies

2011-04-05T13:41:00.003-04:00

In honor of MAM 2011, we are having a free drawing in April, sponsored by S&S Worldwide. Just follow the instructions at this page for a chance to win prizes. Twenty e-mails will be selected at random on May 1. The name and location of each winner will be announced on our site and in our newsletter!

Math Awareness Month

2011-03-19T13:48:00.004-04:00

Math Awareness Month is celebrated each year in April to increase public awareness and understanding of mathematics. This year's theme is Unraveling Complex Systems. We will explore questions such as: How do epidemics spread, birds flock, and stock markets operate? You can also read articles and other resources to help explain the math behind such diverse systems as our dynamic response to HIV infections to production links that determine product trade between countries. I invite you to explore these topics with us at Math Goodies.

Celebrate Pi Day

2011-02-28T12:10:00.005-05:00

Each year, Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 by math enthusiasts around the world. You are invited to celebrate Pi Day with our Irrational WebQuest. I like Pi Day, because it makes math fun in a meaningful way. The notion of a "math holiday" is actually quite exciting, not just for math enthusiasts, but for the general student population. There are plenty of real-world connections with Pi Day, too, making pi much more than just a math constant. Apart from Einstein's birthday, students can learn about the history and meaning of pi, and how computers are used to calculate many of its digits. Come and celebrate with us!

Math Connections to Other Subjects

2011-01-07T17:00:00.012-05:00

I have always been fascinated by the many connections between math and other subjects. Many school districts require that teachers use interdisciplinary projects. This was the case at schools where I taught math. A crowded curriculum can make it difficult to engage in such projects. But students do love when math is extended beyond the four walls of their math classroom! Here are some of my ideas that you may find useful.

Math and Science

Explore many scientific facts, such as the boiling and freezing point of liquids, the melting and freezing points of solids, and the temperature of planets, with my WebQuest on Integers and Science.
Explore how scientific notation is used to express a planet's distance from the sun and the size of bacteria with my WebQuest on Exponents and Scientific Notation.
Have you been to the playground lately? You'll find many connections between algebra, science, and the real world in our article entitled Why Learn Algebra?
My Unit on Data and Graphs includes some nice connections to geology, such as this problem from a worksheet.

Math and Social Studies

There are many nice connections between Integers and Social Studies in my Unit on Integers, which covers integer properties and operations.
After teaching a unit on how to read, interpret, and draw graphs, you can have your students draw graphs to compare the Population, Per Capita Income, and Population Density of various countries.

Math and Writing

On standardized tests, students are given open-ended problems and asked to provide written explanations. This is done to assess their ability to express mathematical ideas in written form. To help students prepare for these types of questions, have them answer several open-ended questions using full sentences. Some sample questions are provided in our Classroom Activities and Project Ideas for Number Theory and for Understanding Percent.

Math and Technology

There are two main approaches to to addressing technology in the math classroom. You can integrate math and technology, making these topics the object of instruction. For example, Math and the History of Computers and Math and Round-Off Error are described at this page. You can also use technology to facilitate math learning. For example, the use of an iPod, an interactive whiteboard, or other devices. Find more ideas here.

Math and Sports

Explore Win-Loss Percentage, Graphing Data for Olympics and Super Bowls, Batting Average and ERA, and the NBA Draft Lottery with my Webquests on Math and Sports. You can also play my Integer Football Game.

Percent Resources

2010-12-16T10:31:00.008-05:00

When students ask: When are we gonna use this math?, percent is the first topic that comes to mind. Do you know of a job that doesn't use it? There are plenty of resources on percentages at Math Goodies. Lets start with my Unit on Understanding Percent, which includes lessons on the following topics:

The Meaning of Percent provides a solid foundation for understanding percent concepts.
Writing Fractions as Percents will have you thinking about your grades.
Writing Decimals as Percents dances the decimal to the right.
Writing Percents as Decimals dances the decimal to the left.
Writing Percents as Fractions will have you thinking about sports.
Percents < 1 or > 100 will have you riding your bicycle to school.
Practice Exercises are presented in a quiz format. What's your score?
Challenge Exercises are presented in a game format. Can you get the bulls eye?

The interactive lessons above provide in-depth instruction, and are intended for on-screen use. For extra practice, try my Percent Worksheets, designed for easy printing. I also have game called Percent Goodies, which lets you convert between fractions, decimals and percentages. For further explorations, try my WebQuest on Percent in Daily Life.

Probability Goodies

2010-12-06T20:41:00.010-05:00

My entire Unit on Probability is now online! The interactive spinners and die rolls are truly random. This unit includes lessons on the following topics:

Introduction to Probability covers experiments, outcomes, events and probabilities.
Certain and Impossible Events presents examples and probabilities for each type of event.
Sample Spaces covers all possible outcomes for experiments with marbles, playing cards and more.
Complement of an Event computes the probability that an event will not occur.
Mutually Exclusive Events examines experiments to determine if they have any outcomes in common.
Addition Rules are used to compute the probabilities of events that are, and are not, mutually exclusive.
Independent Events computes the probability of independent events that occur in sequence.
Dependent Events computes the probability of dependent events, accounting for outcomes common to both.
Conditional Probability provides step-by step examples for computing conditional probabilities.
Practice Exercises are 10 additional problems for assessment of skills and knowledge.
Challenge Exercises are 10 additional real-world problems to challenge students.

What happens when you choose a marble? roll a pair of dice? pick a card? Find out at Math Goodies!

Geometry and Measurement

2010-10-15T16:56:00.011-04:00

By popular demand, I have published two new units on Geometry and Measurement. The lessons in these units use both metric and English units. There are plenty of illustrations and diagrams. See below for details!

My Unit on Perimeter and Area of Polygons has been redesigned and published. There are plenty of fences and yards, so be sure to bring your entire class! This unit includes lessons on the following topics:

Perimeter of polygons and regular polygons.
Area of a Rectangle, which contrasts area with perimeter.
Area of a Parallelogram, with diagrams that clearly label the base and the height.
Area of a Triangle, with the formula derived by splitting a parallelogram in half.
Area of a Trapezoid, showing several types of trapezoids.
Practice Exercises, with 10 additional quiz problems for assessment.
Challenge Exercises, with 10 additional real-world problems.

My Unit on Circumference and Area of Circles has also been redesigned and published. There's lot of pizza and bicycles, so be sure check it out! This unit includes lessons on:

Geometry and the Circle, with definitions and labels from geometry and the parts of a circle.
Circumference of a Circle, the distance around the circle.
Area of a Circle, the space inside the circle.
Practice Exercises, with my famous 10-question quiz.
Challenge Exercises, with 10 additional word problems for a real challenge.

Number Theory

2010-10-03T18:18:00.010-04:00

Number Theory has always been one of my favorite topics. I had a pretty good college professor that taught this subject. I enjoyed learning it and then teaching it. I have just published my entire Unit on Number Theory, which includes factors, multiples, primes, composites, divisibility and exponents. You'll also find a set of worksheets to go with my interactive lessons.

Are you ready to help your garden grow using multiples? Count with Fibonacci? Bake with Eratosthenes? Explore more topics in number theory with my WebQuest!

Worksheets on Fractions, Decimals and Percents

2010-09-29T22:23:00.004-04:00

I have published a number of new worksheets and answer keys to supplement my lessons. These worksheets provide extra practice with computational and problem-solving skills. I have organized them by topic, including Fractions, Decimals and Percents. These worksheets are designed for easy printing. Click, print and enjoy!

Unit on Integers

2010-09-15T14:53:00.004-04:00

I have published my entire Unit on Integers, with plenty of connections to the real world. It includes 10 in-depth lessons that walk students through signed numbers and integer operations as follows:

Introduction to Integers defines the set of integers and their basic properties.
Absolute Value concepts and notation are presented as the distance from zero on the number line.
Comparing and Ordering Integers is presented with and without the number line.
Integer Addition is shown with the number line, and though arithmetic.
Integer Subtraction is shown with the number line, and through arithmetic.
Integer Multiplication is performed two factors at a time, and then three at a time.
Integer Division follows easily after the rules for multiplication.
Operations with Integers differentiates between all rules learned in a mixed review format.
My Practice Exercises page has 10 additional quiz problems for assessment.
My Challenge Exercises page offers 10 additional real-world problems.

There are a total of 60 interactive exercises in this unit, so students will get plenty of practice. Be sure to bring your entire class!

Pre-Algebra and My Dear Aunt Sally

2010-08-18T16:28:00.006-04:00

Will you Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally? It seems she had indigestion and burped. Can you find where she is? This is how I had fun publishing my Unit on Pre-Algebra! This unit includes in-depth lessons on:

So can you find my Dear Aunt Sally? And will you excuse her?

Median and the Middle Child

2010-07-16T13:27:00.008-04:00

My complete unit on Introduction to Statistics is now online. Examples include problems with whole numbers, decimals and integers. This unit includes lessons on the following topics:

When I think of the median, I always think about how I was the middle child in a family of five children, as illustrated by my animated middle child! Of course, an even number of data is also covered in the median lesson. But for me, an odd number of data is just so much more fun!

Worksheets on Fractions

2010-06-25T23:24:00.005-04:00

I had a lot of fun creating my new resources on fractions. These resources are very visual with lots of shapes and colors! To supplement my interactive lessons, I recently published a new worksheet on fractions. You can view this PDF document here. In addition, I just added the answer key for this worksheet. I invite you to try these resources with your students!

Photo Tour

2010-06-13T21:54:00.004-04:00

I really enjoyed creating the photo tour of the new visuals for my CD on facebook, so I decided to make an online tour so others can see the same. While facebook does this sort of thing best, it was nice to have my own tour on my site. Either way, seeing is believing, and both the photos and the captions make for a nice chronology of visuals for all to see.

New Math CD

2010-05-23T12:08:00.014-04:00

I just released version 11 of my CD. This version is an expansion pack of all previous versions. The new resources have lots of colorful visuals. Version 11 includes:

135 in-depth lessons ideal for students of all ages and abilities.
my expanded worksheet library, designed for easy printing.
a suite of learning games, including my new Fraction Goodies game.
my all-new puzzle library, designed to work in the latest browsers.
my all-new Educator's Guide, with a wealth of instructional information.
my revised classroom activities and project ideas.
my revised learning objectives, you can copy and paste into your plan book.
revised lessons, and improved navigation on all pages.

As a classroom math teacher, I was trained to improve my teaching skills. I believe I have done this with the CD. Apart from the commercial aspects, I take great pride in improving my lessons and other resources as well as building on what I have to create new goodies. Essentially, this is a labor of love that started in 1998. I also enjoy helping people.

I want to thank my cyberbals, without whom I could not have completed this project. Thank you Ann, Mike, Doug, Peb, Cheryl, Charlene and Debi. You can see more screenshots on my facebook page.

New Puzzles

2010-05-13T18:03:00.003-04:00

I think math vocabulary is something that has mystified students for many generations. My crossword puzzles are a fun way to hone student's math vocabulary. My original set of puzzles were designed in 2004. But they needed to be updated for the newer browsers. Accordingly, I have updated my entire puzzle library to use the latest web technologies. The interactive puzzles have three levels of difficulty. There is also a printable version for each. I also added some interactive word searches, with a timer. Choose a puzzle and enjoy!

Math Awareness Month

2010-04-19T19:48:00.003-04:00

Math Awareness Month is held each year in April, and is sponsored by the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics. This year's theme is Mathematics and Sports. While most people are familiar with sports, they are not always aware of the important role that mathematics plays in sports. In fact, this role is important at all levels of math, from K12 to higher education. Accordingly, I have online and offline activities for every level on on my MAM 2010 page.

Introduction to Fractions

2010-04-02T22:52:00.009-04:00

I have created a new lesson on fractions. This introductory lesson has plenty of circles, rectangles and colors for visual learning. It has definitions, examples, diagrams, a summary, and interactive exercises that provide immediate feedback. Introduction to Fractions is one of 125 math lessons that I created to provide step-by-step math instruction.

Math and Sports WebQuests

2010-03-20T16:31:00.026-04:00

Although not always realized, mathematics plays a very important role in sports. A myriad of sports data for players and teams is available from the media and the sports world. I have created 4 new webquests on Math and Sports to help you explore how math is used to compute, summarize and analyze this data! The main topics are:

Win-Loss Percentage - baseball, football and basketball
Graphing Historical Data for The Olympics and Super Bowls
Batting Average and Earned Run Average
The NBA Draft Lottery

Other topics include percent change in number of home runs scored, field goal percentage, Pythagorean Expectation, Win Probability, Win Expectancy, Sabermetrics, and Simpsons' Paradox. There is enough information for offline projects, too! You can also explore math and science with my other math webquests!

Pi Day WebQuest

2010-02-23T19:44:00.007-05:00

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 by math enthusiasts around the world. To help folks celebrate, I have updated my Pi Day WebQuest. Links to resources on Pi and Pi Day are provided to facilitate inquiry and exploration on the part of the learner. Students are presented with interesting questions about the meaning and history of Pi, and about calculations involving Pi. Students are also asked about the history of Pi Day and how it is celebrated. They can then celebrate Pi Day by engaging in online activities of their own choosing.

Facebook Update

2010-01-15T15:58:00.005-05:00

I am happy to report that there are now about 85 fans on Math Goodies facebook page! This is new and exciting. I got the word out through my e-newsletter and this blog. One fan posted a photo of herself... Hey, it gives me a chance to get to know my fans better...

Math Goodies on Facebook

2009-12-19T21:32:00.006-05:00

My friend Emma has been on Facebook for a while. She invited me in about a year ago. I had created a personal profile, but then didn't go back until recently. I had been getting daily invites from a number of newsletter subcribers. It seems there were about 50 invites in my personal profile. Anyway, she and other colleagues have a business page there. So I have done the same. You can find Math Goodies on Facebook. I am a bit of a newbie there, but it seems to be a nice place to hang out! Oh, the place is at a crawl at night. But I like to update my business page during the daytime. See ya there!

New WebQuests

2009-12-01T15:47:00.006-05:00

I published some new worksheets to go with my WebQuest on Percent in Daily Life. These worksheets have not yet been added to my worksheets index page. For now, they can be accessed from my WebQuest page. I have published a number of new WebQuests this year, and enjoy creating these explorations. It's a nice way to tie together different resources on one topic, and then extend that topic to provide some enrichment. With each new quest, I am trying to get more creative in my approach. More on this later!

Improve Your Math Grades

2009-11-03T13:04:00.003-05:00

I recently published an article written by one of my colleagues, entitled Top 10 Strategies To Improve Your Math Grades. The strategies are straight-foward and apply to any level of math. The author, Jason Gibson, draws on his experience as an instructor and as a student. In fact, Gibson's memory of struggling with his math homework shines through in this article! This article has been valuable to students, parents and educators, all of whom have recommended it to a friend.

Why Learn Math?

2009-10-19T20:36:00.003-04:00

The question students ask generation after generation is "Why do we need to learn this math?" They ask it because they really don't see the need to learn a given topic, to bust the teacher's chops, and because they truly want an answer. I doubt the question will ever go away, but having an answer is a good thing. First, I found a great article by a colleague called Why Learn Algebra? This article inspired me to create a WebQuest called Percent in Daily Life. I designed it so that students can find the answer to their own question --with regard to percentages. And so the beat goes on...

Math Lessons and the Anesthesiologist

2009-10-13T11:42:00.006-04:00

Last month I had a medical procedure done. The anesthesiologist was trying to relax me by asking about my work. When I mentioned my math site, he said he knew of it from his children. After the procedure, he looked at Math Goodies with my husband. After viewing the lessons section, he complained that he was unclear about navigating it. He inspired me to redesign this section to make it easier to jump from lesson to lesson and from unit to unit. Now if only I knew his name so I could thank him...

Teens, Sleep and School

2009-09-30T10:56:00.003-04:00

Over the last year or so I have been reading many articles about teen sleep patterns and how they impact on their performance in school. I remember all too well how tired I was in junior high and high school. So I finally took the plunge and wrote an article entitled Teens, Sleep and School. One researcher pointed out a study in which harder subjects were be offered later in the day. So naturally I thought of math and science. Anyway, I my visitors seem to like it.

Math Teachers

2009-09-10T19:39:00.004-04:00

Well, it's back to school already. My, how time flies! It's good to see math teachers have returned. In that vein, I created some teaching tips and ideas for the latest issue of my newsletter. I got some positive feedback from teachers and parents alike...

Fractions

2009-07-02T13:04:00.004-04:00

As a classroom middle school teacher, I was of the belief that fractions are something that are taught in elementary school and then reviewed in middle school. So my focus was to teach conversions from fractions to decimals to percents, as shown in my interactive game. However, I have since learned that students have been mystified by fractions since the beginning of time! It will be interesting to see how my nephew learns these concepts in third grade.

New Lessons

2009-05-08T12:10:00.004-04:00

As part of the MAM celebration, two new lessons were published on Math Goodies. The lesson on Percent Change was useful to help solve the percent increase and decrease problems on my webquest worksheet. The lesson on Reading and Writing Decimals was also a nice addition to the site. Each lesson covers the topic in-depth, and was previously available only on CD.

Climate Change and Global Warming

2009-03-27T21:48:00.020-04:00

I found the theme for MAM 2009, Math and Climate, intriguing, so I decided to create a webquest for students to learn more about it through online explorations. I think the goal of The Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) was to show how higher math and mathematical modeling are used to better understand oceans, the atmosphere, polar ice caps, and their interrelationships. As I did online research, I became intrigued by the scientific evidence of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. I decided that these issues should be presented to students before the mathematics behind it was introduced. I learned about how humans impact on global warming, and the things they can do to stop it. I also found some sites with facts on "Carbon Math". Next, I came across some great interactive calculators that I knew students would enjoy. These calculators make one's personal impact quantifiable, and more concrete for the student. As a result, my Webquest on Climate Change and Global Warming explores the scientific evidence first. It then explores how things are monitored through the use of mathematics. Next, it examines the human impact and things we can do to stop it. Lasly, students can apply their knowledge by solving related math problems.

Math Awareness Month 2009

2009-03-18T12:41:00.008-04:00

Math Awareness Month is held each year in April. The goal of MAM is to increase public awareness and understanding of mathematics. This year's theme is Mathematics and Climate. Many areas of mathematics help scientists to better understand oceans, the atmosphere, and polar ice caps. Researchers are trying to find answers to questions such as: How long will summer Arctic sea ice survive? Are hurricanes getting more intense? How much will sea level rise as ice sheets melt? Mathematics and Climate are very relevant to our world today, so join me as we explore these important issues!

Celebrate Pi Day

2009-03-12T13:27:00.008-04:00

Pi Day is a holiday that celebrates the constant Pi (pronounced Pi). The Greek letter , is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi equals 3.1415926535... Thus, Pi Day is observed on March 14, since the digits in this date correspond with the first three digits of Pi. I have created a new webquest to Celebrate Pi Day. Students will learn about the meaning and the history of Pi. They will also celebrate Pi Day with various online activities.

Math WebQuests

2009-02-22T20:31:00.005-05:00

I've been busy creating some WebQuests. It's a lot of fun to create online adventures for students. In January, I created the one on Exponents and Scientific Notation. I created one on Integers and Science in February. My visitors have given me some positive feedback, so I think I will continue working on new ones!

Famous Mathematicians

2009-01-17T20:33:00.004-05:00

Dr. Margaret Taplin of the Institute of Sathya Sai Education, Hong Kong, has written several articles for publication on Math Goodies. Some of her articles are linked to other articles, so I forgot about this one good one, which I am posting here. She has written some Stories About Famous Mathematicians. Dr. Taplin believes that their struggles can bring a human story to a math class.

Math Worksheets

2009-01-06T23:56:00.004-05:00

Worksheets are in high demand on the web. But I sometimes wonder why that is so. My philosophy is that worksheets are good for practice once a concept has been introduced. But most worksheets don't teach the actual concepts. Accordingly, my in-depth, interactive lessons were designed to teach the concepts; whereas, my worksheets are intended for practice of concepts already learned. So I always encourage visitors to try my lessons first. In any event, I have add a new worksheet on fractions, along with the answer key, and I hope to publish more in the next few weeks.

WebQuest on Math and Scientific Notation

2009-01-01T23:54:00.005-05:00

The exciting connections between mathematics and science are endless. Scientists from many fields use mathematics to express relationships and to measure the size and distance of objects. My webquest explores some of these connections through the use of scientific notation. Students will browse some of my lessons and other sites. They will then complete my worksheet as well as create their own. I hope this is a first of many new webquests!

Saving Energy and Money

2008-12-07T16:26:00.004-05:00

In these hard economic times, I feel compelled to write about saving energy and money. It's a lesson that adults have to deal with, and that children should also be aware of. My husband and I bought a new pellet stove. It's an appliance that helps us save on our oil bill. The heat is virtually emmission free according to the EPA. So far we have saved on one oil bill, and look forward to getting more. We hope that the Obama administration creates some sort of tax deduction for the fuel efficiency on pellet stoves. Learn more about how to save energy and money.

Election Math

2008-12-02T20:18:00.004-05:00

My nephew was asked to do a news report about Barack Obama in October. Another classmate did the same on John McCain. Shortly after the election, he said: "I did a report on Obama and he won -he had a lot more votes than McCain!" I seized this teachable moment to discuss the electoral vote, the popular vote, and the math behind each. In fact, I showed him CNN's Election Results Map. You can use this interactive map to look at ratios, proportions and percentages of the electoral vote, the popular vote, and votes by party and state.

New math articles

2008-11-13T11:42:00.005-05:00

I have published some new articles on my site. The first one is entitled Math Through Technology. I have also been compiling many other articles on math education which can be found here. Happy reading!

Mathematics and Technology

2008-09-26T15:32:00.006-04:00

I have always been fascinated with bringing technology into the math classroom. There are two ways to do this: You can integrate math and technology, making these topics the object of instruction, or you can use technology to facilitate math learning.

Math and technology as the object of instruction

[1] Symbolic logic provides an excellent framework for computer circuitry. When I taught an electronics class at a NY City high school in 1990, I presented lessons on Boolean logic and circuitry. Specifically, I gave a lesson gates such as AND, OR, NAND, and XOR.

[2] Round-Off Error is a good topic to present to students who are learning about repeating decimals. I have students bring in their own calculators so they can see different levels of accuracy for the same repeating decimal. View my article on this topic here.

[3] The theme for MAM 2006 was Mathematics and Internet Security. Math plays a central role in Internet technology, including encryption, making it possible for you to bank, shop and communicate online securely!

Using technology to facilitate math learning

Handheld devices make great tools for using technology to facilitate math learning. This is especially prominent in the field of applied mathematics. There are some great examples of using the iPod to facilitate math learning from the Apple Learning Interchange. You can find them here.

Fractions, Decimals and Percents

2008-08-26T22:19:00.003-04:00

Conversions from fractions to decimals to percents are one of the most important topics for middle school students to master. I have always used a conceptual approach to teaching math, but this topic is difficult. I believe that a lot of time would have to be spent to teach a conceptual understanding of this topic. For example, students should be able to develop a number sense and eventually use mental math: If 1/8 is 0.125 then 3/8 is 0.375, and so on. But time is not something teachers really have. On the other hand, a simple mechanical approach is faster and perhaps easier to teach. Either way, do the kids really get it? I have seen them enter 7th grade with a marginal understanding of fractions. That's half the battle. So do we blame the elementary teachers? Is that fair when middle school teachers are blamed by high school teachers for poor preparation of students? Anyway, I called my percent unit Understanding Percent, so you can see what approach I used there. On the other hand, my Percent Goodies game is a vehicle for practicing conversions between fractions, decimals and percents. It would be interesting to enter a brick building again and teach this topic.

New Search, Math News, Technology Tips

2008-08-20T20:43:00.006-04:00

Just some random thoughts here. I had to put in a new search tool on my site to prevent it from being vulnerable to malicious hacks. Sigh. I guess being famous is not all it is cracked up to be. The new tool is much nicer than my old one -it is comprehensive like a CNN search. No sooner did I get this done, when my husband discovered that a client of mine was vulnerable to a similar hack on their site.

I came across some nice articles on math education and posted them here. I mentioned this page in my newsletter. I also hope to have some technology tips for my next issue.

13 Years in Cyberspace

2008-07-25T23:48:00.024-04:00

As Math Goodies celebrates its tenth anniversary online, I am reminiscing about the World Wide Web in the 1990's. I first started with commercial web design in 1995. As I recall, Microsoft was about to release Windows 95, and had not entered the web arena yet. The browser of choice was Netscape Navigator 2.0. JavaScript was a great scripting language for adding interactivity to static web pages. In fact, when I designed my interactive math lessons in 1998, I was one of the first designers to use pop-up definition windows for instructional purposes. The opening and closing of these windows has always been controlled by the user.

In the 1990's, most people did not have email. The Internet was still in its infancy. It was a medium for a free exchange of information and ideas. S\p\a\m\ was not a widespread problem, and it was considered unsoliticited commercial email.

Things quickly changed as the web became commercialized. Microsoft purchased a product called Vermeer and renamed it FrontPage. They created Internet Explorer. And then came the browser wars. I was a member of a web design mailing list. We constantly struggled to design websites that would work in both IE and Netscape, as well as other browsers. It was a real tough balancing act, since each browser had it's own built-in tools, tags and plug-ins. Not all browsers interpreted JavaScript the same way. One great thing that happened with this mailing list was that we witnessed one of the first animated GIF images. We also witnessed the invention of database applications, Shockwave, Flash and CSS.

I remember seeing one of the first database-driven websites at Fedex.com. You could track a package through their dynamic tool. Fedex.com was an early pioneer of dynamic content generated on the fly. One of the first shockwave-driven web sites was M&Ms, an award-winning site created for Mars Candy.

Companies started flocking to the web to create a "home page". The brochure-ware that resulted (i.e. a single homepage with stuff for sale) proved to be an ineffective way to sell products and services. The worst part was seeing vanilla pages all over the web designed by people who knew some HTML, but nothing about marketing. Would you hire an inexperienced student or a child to design your company's sales literature for print? I think not. And then e-commerce developed, changing the whole web landscape.

I remember the good old days when search engines were free and easy to get listed in. Posting messages to usenet groups was easy with DejaNews (now Google Groups). I remember when COPPA compliance laws were enacted and privacy policies became the big trend. Nowadays, it's not a matter of whether you have a privacy policy, but rather, what that policy stipulates. Mailto links are becoming a thing of the past because of widespread s\p\a\m. Forms have become vulnerable to people who hijack them for malicious purposes.

My math newsletter, started in July 1999, was one of the first educational newsletters on the Internet. The number of subscribers grew exponentially. Newsletters became a great way to bring visitors back to a web site. Unfortunately, as more and more sites created e-newsletters, bulk mail became synomyous with illegitimate email. Nowadays, people sign up for newsletters and when the issue arrives in their inbox, they hit the S\P\A\M\ button instead of the delete button. So now any unwanted email message is considered s\p\a\m by many people, leaving legitimate newsletter publishers having to prove themselves. IMHO, subscribers are not taking responsibility for their own actions, and some ISPs are over-filtering.

Anyway, although some things have changed for the worse, the web has certainly changed and improved the lives of many people around the world. New online innovations appear daily. Flash animations and videos are widely used. My math games, such as Integer Football, are designed using Flash. RSS feeds are here as well as social networking. Web conferencing and instant messaging is certainly useful for many people. Many electronic and other companies are publishing their installation and product manuals online, saving time, money and paper. Banks are trying to go paperless. Even some goverment agencies are making effective use of web technologies. The web has emerged and continues to grow and evolve.

No part of this blog post may be reproduced without my express written permission.

Regression of math skills

2008-07-18T11:49:00.003-04:00

Regression is the loss of learned skills; usually after breaks in instruction such as after summer vacation. Some schools have summer math programs to prevent this. The big complaint I hear is that the packets get lost and so does the child's motivation. Students can practice their math skills at Math Goodies. We even have a special page that outlines what they can do over the summer.

From a parents perspective, I feel very strongly about this. My son got top grades in reading and math this past school year. However, we still encourage him to practice his reading and math skills over the summer whenever possible.

Math CD on the go

2008-06-26T10:54:00.004-04:00

I decided to offer a summer sale on my CD for home use. I think it definitely makes a difference to people if they know they are saving 10 percent. Students can use my CD on a laptop in the car (for short and long trips). Let's hope for a good summer free of lost learning...

Math Goodies Home Page

2008-06-20T23:21:00.004-04:00

Summer is here. So I gave my home page a face lift. He he. Nothing major. Just more information for new visitors to mull over and larger margins for easier reading. I guess after 10 years you start to lose your objectivity... But I got some nice suggestions from my cyberpals recently, so this was a good time to implement those suggestions.

Math CD

2008-05-27T15:36:00.002-04:00

I redesigned my CD page. I got tired of the clutter that amassed over the past few years, so it was time. My cyberpals tell me that it has a "clean design", and that it showcases my best goodies. They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, so I am hoping that is exactly the case!

Math Poll

2008-05-24T20:59:00.003-04:00

Reading and math math programs over the summer have become quite commonplace given the "retention lost" by students over the summer. Accordingly, I created a new anonymous poll which asks: Do you plan to have a summer math skills program for your students or children?. It should be interesting to see the results...

I get my own son summer skills books at the local bookstore. They are really in sync with what he does in school, both for language arts and for math. And he loves to read, so that takes care of that problem.

Math Articles

2008-05-07T16:07:00.006-04:00

I came across a few articles on math education that I think are quite interesting. The first one is entitled Mathematicians Make Three-Dimensional Images of Music. Imagine a "geometrical technique for mapping out music in coordinate space." The music of The Beatles is even analyzed! "The new techniques reveal fascinating differences between rock and classical music, and even between Paul McCartney and John Lennon." Of course, growing up in the 1960's as an avid Beatles fan, I find this fascinating!

The second article I found is entitled Why the Best Math Curriculum Won’t Be a Textbook. This article explains how digital curricula could change math learning on a large scale.

Happy Reading!

The Factor Tree Game

2008-04-19T19:11:00.003-04:00

The feature of the week is The Factor Tree Game. I don't think visitors are finding this game very easily. Hopefully they will play it now and test their factoring skills. It is best played with sound, but that's optional.

Math Awareness Month

2008-03-26T20:51:00.004-04:00

April is Math Awareness Month. The goal of MAM is to increase public awareness and understanding of mathematics. The theme for MAM 2008 is Math and Voting. I am impressed with the theme chosen by The Joint Policy Board for Mathematics. (Past themes were really not of much interest to students.) This year they are having a contest in which you create a video about what math and voting means to you. The videos are being hosted at YouTube. You can win $500. I think this Web 2.0 theme is definitely something that is more appealing to today's students!

Math Lessons

2008-03-13T01:39:00.005-04:00

It's been a busy month, but I updated my math lessons page. Now if only people would actually read the terms and conditions for using my math lessons.

Math News

2008-02-29T21:12:00.008-05:00

March is an exciting month for math education. March 5 is World Math Day and March 14 is Pi Day. My visitors seem to be excited about both of these events.

April is Math Awareness Month. I created a math poll as part of the celebration. Last, but not least, The Conference on Math Education and Social Justice will be held from April 4 - 6, 2008 in Brooklyn, NY. This conference is sponsored by RadicalMath, whose article I posted here.

Free Drawing

2008-02-23T18:10:00.008-05:00

I first announced my free drawing in the January 1 issue of my newsletter. This drawing was exclusively for newsletter subscribers. The winners were to be randomly drawn on February 1st. I used my custom random number generator to randomly draw the winners. Well, it took all of February to notify the winners. I spent countless hours trying to notify winners by email, keep track of who did and did not claim their prize, and so on. Many people simply did not reply to my messages. Finally I realized that the word prize was a trigger for email filters, not to mention that some people were away on vacation. Would you believe there are 3 unclaimed prizes? Sigh...

Math Tutorial

2008-02-09T15:28:00.001-05:00

My husband always tells me that students are in a panic rush when it comes to math help. So I created a quick help page for Math Students. (He wanted to call it Math 911, but I just couldn't do that since I live in New York.) Anyway, from there students can go to my new Math Tutorial page. Happy surfing!

Math Teachers

2008-02-05T21:31:00.005-05:00

I have updated my Math Teachers page to make it easier for teachers to find the resources on my site. I think the deeper links will make it easy for busy math teachers.

Decimals

2008-01-31T21:01:00.000-05:00

I have created 23 new lessons on decimals, divided into two units. The first Unit on Decimals consists of 12 lessons on the following topics:

* Reading and writing decimals
* Comparing and ordering decimals
* Estimating decimal sums
* Adding decimals
* Estimating decimal differences
* Subtracting decimals
* Solving decimal word problems

The second Unit on More on Decimals consists of 13 lessons on the following topics:

* Estimating decimal products and quotients
* Multiplying decimals by whole numbers
* Multiplying decimals by decimals
* Dividing decimals by whole numbers
* Rounding decimal quotients
* Dividing decimals by decimals
* Solving decimal word problems

Visitors always like to view sample lessons. So I have published two of my favorites in my lessons section:

My favorite part is the text rollovers at the top of the page in the second lesson.

Math Games

2008-01-25T19:27:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting month. With the launch of my new CD, I am able to publish a descriptive page of math games on my site, complete with inline images. Games titles include The Decimal Dance, Geometry and a Shoebox, The Interactive Factor Tree Game, and Percent Goodies.

Percent Goodies lets you convert between fractions, decimals and percents. It includes 3 levels of difficulty and scoring. This game is made to go with my unit on percent.

Quick Help for Students

2008-01-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

Math students can get quick help on my redesigned Students Page, with handy links to the things you want now. Just click and go.

WNBC Television Features Math Goodies

2008-01-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

Math Goodies was featured on Television on January 17, 2008! WNBC, Channel 4 in New York, reviewed us in a segment about Homework Help on the Web. Learn more.

Windows Vista Testing Successful!

2008-01-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

Initial testing of my new Math CD on Windows Vista systems shows that everything works just fine! I can now list it as a supported system.

Math Goodies CD Version X is here!

2008-01-11T23:10:00.001-05:00

The Math Goodies CD version X is here! It has over 340 web pages of self-paced instruction designed to make math fun for students of all ages. Contents include 124 in-depth lessons, a library of worksheets and puzzles, and 8 exciting games! Each lesson is an interactive learning module that actively engages students in the learning process. Instant downloads are available for home users!

New CD!

2008-01-01T18:39:00.001-05:00

The Math Goodies CD version X will be released in a few days. Version X was chosen (instead of 7) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Math Goodies. Highlights of the new CD include:

23 new lessons!
7 new games!
Lot of new worksheets
New crossword puzzles

Math Goodies Download will be released first, followed by CD version X for shipment. Stay tuned for more information!