contentsA Treasure Map to
Math Jewels

Online Manipulatives and Applets
Sites for Creating with Math
Logic Puzzles
Math Games with that "Extra Something"
Sites Targeting Specific Concepts
Sites with Real-Life Connections
Math Tools and Resources
Sites with Data for Kids to Share and Use
Software for Exploring with Math

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*Online Manipulatives and Applets

Math Cats
www.mathcats.com

     Applets for exploring numerous concepts. See "What a Crowd!" (estimation), Multiplication Grid, Math Cats Balance (with items ranging from electrons to galaxies), Old Egyptian Math Cats Fractions, Tessellation Town, much more.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/index.html
     

Illuminations: Interactive Math Tools
http://illuminations.nctm.org/mathlets/index.html

     fractals tool, shape sorter, shape tool, shape pan balance (visualizing algebra), fraction pie, and many more tools spanning all levels

NCTM's Electronic Examples (for implementing Principles and Standards)
http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/index.htm

     links to applets with teaching ideas and discussion questions

Project Interactivate
www.shodor.org/interactivate

     a huge collection of interactive tools and simulations with supplemental materials and links to standards

Math Tools at the Math Forum
http://mathforum.org/mathtools

     links to interactive resources and related lesson plans and other support materials, organized by grade and topic

Nummolt
www.nummolt.org

OBBL and Math Toys
www.geocities.com/nummolt/obbl/index.html

      creative applets for open-ended math explorations by Maurici Carbo Jordi, who has developed many of the best activities at Math Cats

F. Permadi's homepage (Java and Flash applets)
www.permadi.com/java/

     interesting applets: Kaleidoscope Painter, moire patterns, fractal twister, more
www.permadi.com/flash/index.html
     The recursive lines project is fascinating.

Soma Blocks applet
http://users.ids.net/~salberg/soma/Soma.html
     

Sergeych homepage
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/5199/index.html

     some creative applets


*Sites for Creating with Math

Math Crafts at Math Cats
www.mathcats.com/crafts.html

     Create a variety of math crafts offline: polyhedra, hexagrams, ambigrams, string art, tessellations, designs with rotational symmetry, and more.
Also see www.mathcats.com/sitemap.html#onlinemathart for activities to create math art online and www.mathcats.com/gallery.html for a math art gallery of geometric designs, each produced with a few words of Logo code.

Soda Play
www.sodaplay.com

     Construct animated "creatures" out of polygons and springs and share them online. Interact with the creations in "manual" mode and turn gravity on and off. Don't miss the Sodazoo!

Create a Geometric Creature (Geometry for my Everyday World)
www.grsd.org/murrayfield/gradefour/geometrywebquest/

     Create a geometric animal and describe it on this webquest site.

William's Home Page
www.cyffredin.co.uk/

     fascinating math crafts to make offline

Java Kali at the Geometry Center
www.geom.uiuc.edu/java/Kali/program.html
     

Tessellation Tool at Boxer Math
www.boxermath.com/plp/modules/online/workshop/toolbox/mosaictool.html
     

NIMAL
http://entries.the5k.org/22/5k.html

     Draw a miNIMAL aNIMAL with a 15 x 15 black and white grid.


*Logic Puzzles

Cut the Knot: Curriculum
www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/index.shtml#magic

     interactive arithmetic logic puzzles, math magic, algebra, much more, for all levels

Math Sphere: Fun with Math
www.mathsphere.co.uk/children/welcome.htm

     magic squares, tangrams, puzzles, and more

Button Beach Challenge
http://ambleweb.digitalbrain.com/ambleweb/web/Games/button.db_psc?verb=view

     This puzzle combines logic and addition skills (elementary grades).

Java on the Brain
http://javaonthebrain.com

     creative Java applets like rainbow notes, Mastermind

C. Malumphy homepage
http://home.earthlink.net/~cmalumphy/

     several creative applets - Apple Find game, Color Shapes game with projects that can be shared, African stones (mancala)

PuzzleUp Hall of Fame
www.puzzles.com/Projects/PuzzleUpHallOfFame.htm

     links to puzzle applets


*Math Games with that "Extra Something"

Jefferson Lab Games Index
http://education.jlab.org/indexpages/elementgames.html
     

Hurkle
www.aimsedu.org/aimskids/ipuzzles/hurkle/hurkle.html

     combines coordinate geometry, a guessing game, and deduction (computer gives a directional clue after each guess)

Seven by One Stroke
http://home.t-online.de/home/lutz.tautenhahn/stroke/online.html
     

PBS Kids - Games
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games.html
     


*Sites Targeting Specific Concepts

Geometry Step by Step from the Land of the Incas
http://agutie.homestead.com

     This site presents high school level geometry concepts so creatively and artistically that the animations appeal to all ages.

Web Math: Instant Math Help
www.webmath.com

     Enter specific numbers and get help with them. (For instance, enter 8/16 in the fractions area, and the page draws this fraction with a pie and uses these numbers to explain the meaning of the fraction.)

Our Montessori
www.our-montessori.com/home.html

     interactive Shockwave applets and games for developing conceptual understanding, including a long division applet

Jefferson Lab Place Value Game
http://education.jlab.org/placevalue/index.html

     The user can select the highest number, number of places, and number of discards (all elementary grades).

Illuminations: Simulating Probability Situations Using Box Models
http://illuminations.nctm.org/imath/6-8/BoxModel/student/index.html

     great investigation of probability, one item at a time or with 100 sets of 100 at one time

Illuminations: Developing Geometry Concepts Using Computer Programming Environments
http://illuminations.nctm.org/imath/prek2/GeometryConcepts/student/index.html

     Use buttons and sliders to program a turtle to travel to a pond using Logo commands.

Multiplication Mystery
www.harcourtschool.com/activity/mult/mult.html

     Drag a number tile to the multiplication grid. If wrong, it gives a prompt. If right, it displays a portion of a puzzle (the area under the tile and its mirror image).


*Sites with Real-Life Connections

Plane Math
www.planemath.com/planemathmain.html

     integrates math and science with interactive lessons and an online airplane design center

Mr. Pitonyak's Pyramid Puzzle
www.wcvt.com/~tiggr/

     This webquest integrates reading (David Macaulay's Pyramid), online and offline resources, and several curriculum areas. It provides guidance on project management, a group project with specific roles, a press conference and a scale model.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site - math
www.carolhurst.com/subjects/math/math.html

     This site shows how math activities can be applied with different children’s books. Includes some reviews.

Design Your Future
www.autodesk.com/dyf/dyfmain2.html

     This site highlights math, science, and technology careers of potential interest to girls.


*Math Tools and Resources

A Maths Dictionary for Kids
www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com

     an interactive math dictionary, created in Flash by an Australian teacher

David Bagley homepage
http://www.tux.org/~bagleyd/

     a Java abacus and other great Java programs

The Abacus
http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/abacus/

     an abacus website

Global Schoolhouse Resource Links
www.globalschoolnet.org/resources/index.html

     links to atlases, converters for currency and measurement, and more

A Dictionary of Measures, Units, and Conversions
www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/dictunit/dictunit.htm

     lots of unit conversion information and tables

Create a Graph
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/

     Make bar, line, pie graphs online.

What Are Your Chances?
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/probability/dice_handler.asp

     Set the number of times to roll a pair of dice and see a chart of results.

Ask Dr. Math
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

     Browse answers to already-asked questions or ask one of your own.


*Sites with Data for Kids to Share and Use

KanGIS: K12 GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Community
http://kangis.org/mapping/sdm/

     The Student Data Mapper is a Collaborative GIS. Create a project, contribute data, and make a map - all through the web. Classes may participate in projects initiated by other classes, analyze data, or create one of their own projects.

MetLinkInternational Weather Project of the Royal Meteorological Society
www.metlink.org/index.php

     Classes can contribute weather data and study the pooled data.

How Far Is It
www.indo.com/distance/

     Find the distance between any two locations, along with their latitude and longitude and a map, with this tool from "Bali and Indonesia on the Net."

National Geographic's Map Machine
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

     Find nearly any place on Earth and view it by population, climate, and much more.

World Almanac for Kids
www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/index.html

     lots of interesting facts and data on a wide range of topics

The Guinness Book of World Records
www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
     

Useless Dates Related to Your Birthday
www.timeanddate.com/date/birthday.html
     

U.N. Cyber Schoolbus data
http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation3/menu/advanced.asp

     Compare data for up to 6 countries on several measures, with printable graphs.

Make Maps at NationalAtlas.gov
http://nationalatlas.gov/natlas/NatlasStart.asp

     Select from a variety of features; zoom in.

Demographic Data Viewer
http://plue.sedac.ciesin.org/plue/ddviewer/
     


*Software for Exploring with Math

MicroWorlds
www.microworlds.com

      This multimedia version of the Logo programming language empowers students and teachers to create geometric designs, animations, simulations, and games. Exploring and applying math concepts and skills is a natural part of the process of developing projects. The MicroWorlds site includes an extensive project library and several demo versions. The MicroWorlds in Action website - http://mia.openworldlearning.org - offers theme-related demo projects, notes, and extension activities; FAQs with interactive demos; "Ask an Expert," and more.

Squeak
www.squeakland.org

      A free multimedia authoring tool that empowers students and teachers to create their own animations, games, and other projects while exploring math in open-ended, meaningful ways.
See www.squeakland.org/school/drive_a_car/html/Drivecar12.html for a great illustrated narration of how a first "car" project might develop.

ToonTalk
www.toontalk.com

      Build and run computer programs with drag-and-drop icons while exploring math concepts.

Enriched Math (by LCSI, makers of MicroWorlds)
www.microworlds.com/solutions/enriched_math.html

     A set of 15 modules for middle-school students, featuring games and questions that stimulate classroom conversations about math concepts and problem solving strategies. By LCSI, the makers of MicroWorlds.

Mathematical Activities
www.northnet.com.au/~mathsactivities/mathact.htm

     A CD of 125 activities with open-ended environments for exploring patterns and relationships, designed to reveal the level of mathematical thinking of young users and to improve computing skills. Strategy games: ages 8 to adult. Most other activities: ages 4 - 10.

Spreadsheet software (Appleworks, Microsoft Works, Excel)
     Use repeating patterns or formulas to create an instant multiplication table; use formulas to create money converters or magic squares; combine a formula and a repeating pattern to illustrate exponential growth, such as in the "grains of rice" story; collect and graph data.

DigiQuilt
contact K. K. Lamberty, Kristin@cc.gatech.edu -

     A free math tool developed in Squeak for creating math art while exploring fractions. The beta version is available by contacting its author, a grad student at Georgia Tech.

C-cards (computation cards)
     A flow-chart logic system for understanding math processes, under development by a Danish grad student. Use on the computer or print out paper playing pieces.


© copyright 2004   Wendy Petti of mathcats.com.   All Rights Reserved.