Web-Based Math Games

1. Web-Based Math Games Chris Lumanglas

2. We all know that children enjoy playing games. Experience tells us that games can be very productive learning activities. BUT….

3. What should teachers/parents say when asked to educationally justify the use of games in mathematics lesson? • Are some games better than the other? • What educational benefits are there to be gained from games?

4. What is a mathematical game? Mathematical games are activities which: • involve a challenge; • are governed by a set of rules and have a clear underlying structure; • normally have a distinct finishing point; • have specific mathematical cognitive objectives.

5. Benefits of Using Games • Meaningful situations – for the application of mathematical skills are created by games • Motivation – children freely choose to participate and enjoy playing • Positive attitude – games provide opportunities for building self-concept and developing positive attitude towards mathematics, through reducing the fear of failure and error

6. Increased learning – in comparison to more formal activities, greater learning can occur through games due to the increased interaction between children, opportunities to test intuitive ideas and problem solving strategies • Different levels – games can allow children to operate at different levels of thinking. In paying a game, a child might be encountering a concept for the first time, or maybe developing his/her understanding of the concept, or consolidating previously learned concepts

7. Home and school – games provide ‘hands-on’ interactive tasks for both school and home • Independence – children can work independently of the teacher. The rules of the game and the children’s motivation usually keep them on task

8. Math Games for Kids Math is often a subject to be feared. However, our primary Math games and lessons make learning numbers fun and easy. Through animated math lessons, young learners are introduced to the concepts of numbers, shapes, sizes, directions, and positions. For older kids, our fun math activities seek to develop and enhance basic math skills. Kids can practice counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, money counting, and many more skills.

9. "online" means "interactive", • "interactive" means "fun", and • "fun" means "learning"

10. No matter what game a kid plays, if it's fun, they'll learn. • They'll practice the skills the game requires. They'll commit to memory the information needed to win.

11. Manga High • Manga High has over a dozen very attractive math games. I started playing and couldn’t stop!  To get full versions, a teacher is supposed to sign up a “school.” It appears that signing up a home school is acceptable, and there is no cost. But the free game I sampled was pretty impressive.

12. Academic Skills Builders Academic Skill Builders - On this site, the games are neatly organized along a yellow horizontal strip: Addition,Subtraction, Multiplication, Integers, Decimals, Money, Fractions, Time and other non-math topics. The games are moderately engaging and do a good job of focusing on the math skills being reviewed or taught.

13. Soft Schools • Soft Schools– Get straight to the learning with this website that is logically divided into grade level and content area. Find what you are looking for quickly and easily, and let your student practice math and other subjects with simple games that require no real instructions. Fun and Easy!

14. AAA Math • AAA Math – The AAA Math site has a comprehensive collection of interactive games that can be used to master mathematic concepts. The games cover basic math, algebra, geometry, and graphing and are well suited to K-8 students

15. Sheppard Software • Sheppard Softwareoffers everything from early math to pre-algebra. The lessons include interactive activities to practice concepts. Students can shoot fruit, pop balloons, and even play math man (the math version of pac man!). Fractions, place value, money, and basic operations are some of the areas that are covered.

16. Kids Math Games Online • Kids Math Games Online- Enjoy a wide range of free math games, interactive learning activities and fun educational resources that will engage students while they learn mathematics.

17. Extreme Maths • Extreme Maths is a fun math learning game for higher elementary school grades, middle school and high school age kids where you have to answer math questions as quickly as you can (before time runs out). This game requires fast-thinking and quick reaction-speeds in order to progress, and tests your addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills!

18. Math Game Time • Math Game Timehas games for preK to seventh grade. Besides being arranged by grade, games are also arranged in a convenient list of skills such as fractions, probability, multiplication, etc. The games are fairly simple in their layout but do provide an engaging format for practicing what might be boring on a worksheet.

19. Math Play • Math Play – Specially designed for middle school students, and based on recent game show formats, like Jeopardy, Millionaire, and Deal or No Deal, this site will help students practice math concepts like fractions, integers, place value, and more.

20. CoolsMath4Kids • Coolmath4kids.com – Offers a wide variety of games, brain benders, and jigsaw puzzles for improving children’s math skills. The games teach addition, subtraction, long division, multiplication, factions, and much more.

21. CPM Homework Help • The CPM Homework Helpis designed to assist students and parents to develop and maintain mathematical understanding and skills for the concepts learned in the CPM math textbooks. It is assumed that students will attempt all homework problems. Therefore, some of the problems have hints, complete solutions, and answers. Other problems have hints only. Still other problems refer back to previous similar problems. As such, homework help is designed to assist students to be able to do the problems but not necessarily do the problems for them.

22. Thank You!  • clumanglas@mitacademy.org