Math Websites With Math Activities And Games Part 1.

 

I am always on the look for additional websites filled with games and activities because there are only so many times one can use Kahoot or Jeopardy before students get restless.  I'm going over some that I've found and you might enjoy using. I'll try to cover the pros and cons so you have a better idea of each site along with cost. 

First is the site Baamboozle which is spelled correctly.  It is filled with teacher designed quizzes which can be played by the whole class without using a bunch of digital devices.  There is a basic plan for free or you can pay for access to more types of games.    The thing I do not like is that I cannot separate games out based by grade level.  If I put math in the search, I get every math game but if I go more specific like use the word Algebra, it will only provide the games that focus on Algebra.  One good thing is that if you click on the game you want, it lists all the questions in the game and you can check the answers.  Furthermore, you have a choice of playing the game, using it as a study turn it into a slide show or share it and each game has its own game code so you can access it on several machines.  Although they are listed as games, they strike me more as quizzes like Kahoot.

Second is the site Blooket, another site with questions and answers but this one is played with the teacher giving the questions on the screen and students are on their devices.  It site with a basic free plan and you can get more for paying a bit. This game allows a person to log in using a Google ID. This is another site you have to provide more specific terms than math when using the search.  I tried coordinate plane and more than 30 games appeared.  Each game has a title, number of questions and once you click on your choice, it shows the questions and you can click on the question to see the answer just like you do in Kahoot.  Each game can be played individually or with the teacher as the host so you have a choice. 

The next site is not advertised as a game site but as a site to make interactive worksheets.  Wizer has two plans, one free and one that costs so you get more possibilities.  Although it says you can sign up via google, you still have to register for the service.  When you go in, there are a bunch of interactive worksheets that you can checkout.  It shows the worksheet when you click on it but it also tells you who has taken the worksheet and modified it.  When you copy a worksheet, you are directed to a Canvas type setup where you can edit the worksheet, add or subtract more things before saving it to your google drive.I like that I can make changes to the worksheets to personalize them a bit more. 

We are back to games with Funbrain.   Although Funbrain is a K to 8 site, it allows you to choose the grade level you want or just go to the topic such as Math Zone.  When I clicked on MathZone, all the games came up but each game listed the grade level on it.  I looked at the game "What's The Point" rated for grades 4-5.  It is designed to help students read the coordinate plane. When I clicked on it, I was given a choice of levels (easy, medium, hard) and so I went with hard.  The hard level uses a four quadrant coordinate plane.  It listed a point and the student has to click on the point and if correct it says good but if a mistake is made, the game provides immediate feedback explaining what the answer should have been and what the student did.  I popped back to the medium level where the graph shows a point and the student chooses the correct coordinate out of the list of four. The easiest level uses only the first quadrant with a point on the graph and the student chooses the correct coordinate out of a list of four.  Students have the option of going more difficult or easier throughout the game so if they find themselves struggling, they can move down or if it's too simple, they can go harder. 

On Friday, I'll review a few more sites.  I will say that although Funbrain is classified as being for younger students, it does have some games that can help students work on strengthening their foundations or it can be used for differentiation so students who need more work can do a game on this site.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

algebra game

I reported on an algebra application over the summer.  It has a blue background with a monkey on it and is written by Monkey in the Middle apps people. I had my first period class play the game and they enjoyed it. When you click on the first topic - words into equations, it gives you three choices, a game, flashcards or a timed challenge. The game has you helping a monkey go up the platforms and along the way you get 5 multiple choice questions.  If you get the questions correct, you keep going but if you miss the question, the monkey has to start again.  I had one student who did not want to quit when the bell rang.
I am finding games provide a venue where I can have students practice and reinforce skills which they need to work on and not having to take extra time to reteach the skills.  I like doing the games during the last 5 to 10 min of class.  One student even said "Where did the time go?" today when I asked them to clean up.  He is one who normally complains about time going too slowly.

Algebra Equation Builder app

Stumbled across this nice app.  It has 4 levels which increase in difficulty and requires people to take four terms and arrange them with two terms on each side of the equal sign so the equation itself is true.  Level one only uses numbers and when done, you move to the next level which includes a variable and tells you the answer.  Thus as students move through the levels, the difficulty increases until you have to come up with some rather complex problems.  I found some of the problems to be rather challenging and I think this game would give students a chance to practice without it being too easy.
Change of subject.  I got trained in Apple configurater so that next week I can start getting my iPads and the elementary school mini's set up and running.  So my prep periods will be spent getting the iPads up and running so I can actually begin using them in the classroom.

The iPads themselves

I am in the process of creating a list of apps to put on the iPads later this week.  I plan to have subtext, nearpod, and showbie on them as a way of creating a more paperless classroom.  I've thought about Showme or Educreations so they can create their own presentations as part of the project at the end of certain chapters.  I have several interactive games that will be put on because they will reinforce student learning and will actually provide scaffolding for the students who might be slightly behind.  I also plan to include the my script calculator because it can do most math calculations and I want the graphing calculator program so they can graph various equations.  I need to do some looking for a trig app for my College Prep math class.
On the other hand, I will probably put on a notepad type program or a word processing program so students can do more writing in this class.  Our school, due to lower scores, is emphasizing literacy as a way of bringing the scores up. This means I need to consider that as I choose apps.  I know subtext will allow me to create and use digital graphic organizers.  The only issue I have to overcome is the one where the iPads are being shared.  I am going to see if I can have it set up so each student must log in to use the iPad and a place to store his or her work inbetween.  I do know about Dropbox but the tech dept would not let us use it last year so I am trying to find an app or place that would allow each student to store his or her work under their own name from a shared iPad.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Barron's algebra app

This is the second app I found by Barron's but it is for algebra.  The first level is just reviewing the use of positive and negative numbers.  It has three. Quiz levels and you must get 80% in order to unlock the video game and move up to the next level.  Each level has 20 questions and again the program does not tell you which problems you missed.  This maybe due to not having a large base of questions to choose from.  

I think not telling students which problem they missed is not helpful but it does make them check all their work especially if they do not like figuring out where they made the mistake.  I see some positive uses for this app in my classroom.