Maria's Math News, Vol. 63, May 2012
I love teaching, and I love math. This newsletter is my way of reaching out and helping you to teach it, too.
Hello again! The school year may be winding down for many of us now. In case you are planning for the next year, notice the Math Mammoth sale coming up soon!
~Maria
1. Math Mammoth news
2. Proportion videos
3. XP Math
4. Tidbits
1. Math Mammoth news
Alignment to Common Core standards is now complete for grades 1 and 2. You can read about the major changes as compared to the earlier editions here:
Math Mammoth Grade 1 aligned to the Common Core Standards
Math Mammoth Grade 2 aligned to the Common Core Standards
As for the remaining grades, I expect to take about 2 months per grade to finish the alignment. Grade 3 is scheduled for June.
Updates for old customers:
- At Currclick: log into your account at www.currclick.com and find your past orders. There you can redownload anything you've purhased in the past. Note: you can search within your past orders.
- Kagi or Homeschool Buyers Co-op: If you purchased a bundle and can wait till I have finished all six grades, please do so. If you want the new versions right now, email me.
May sale! I'll run a sale in the latter part of May where you can get ALL Math Mammoth downloads & CDs for 20% off at Kagi store. I'll send a separate email about it when time is near...
2. Proportion videos
Check out
these videos of mine on
solving proportions, unit rates, proportional relationships, and scaling geometric figures. I solve several word problems and explain these concepts in detail.
These videos are NOT short 2-3 minute little clips like you commonly see on Youtube. They are like complete lessons around 12 minutes each (teachers: you can use them as lesson plans!).
These videos are suitable for pre-algebra / grade 7, and are aligned to the Common Core standards concerning proportions in grade 7 math. (And, some day I will be offering a pre-algebra curriculum complete with videos - these are a foretaste of that!)
=>
Proportion videos
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assessments. Don't forget to enter MM2012 as your promotional code!
3. XP Math
XP math is a site full of math games, most for arithmetic but including some for algebra & probability. Here are some I tried. Enjoy!
- Whole Numbers Multiplication Boxes
These are actually the same kind of puzzles as you've seen in my books.
The 1st stage is really easy but go up in stages to really practice factoring.
- Wheel of Fortune - Geometry
Guess a geometry word or phrase. Spin the wheel and you get to choose a consonant, but vowels cost you money.
- Plinko Probability
Practice simple probability while trying to make your plinko chips fall into the slots with highest amounts.
- Integer Driving Test - Integer Addition & Subtraction
This is an interesting game. You can change the car's direction from the + and − buttons, and then make it drive backward or forward, so you can model any kind of integer addition or subtraction, including something like -2 − (-8).
4. Tidbits
- See the first 4 million digits of Pi
This online visualization represents the first 4,000,000 decimals of Pi within a single image. Each unique digit of Pi corresponds to a specific color, and is rendered as a 1x1 pixel dot. You can also search for the first occurrences of any specific decimal combination.
- Fred and Frank running times puzzle
Fred and Frank are two fitness fanatics on a run from A to B. Fred runs half the way and walks the other half. Frank runs for half the time and walks for the other half. They both run and walk at the same speeds. Who finishes first?
- Cathy Duffy Reviews
You probably know of this site, but did you know you can subscribe to Cathy's latest reviews, AND get a FREE PDF summary of Cathy's 100 Top Picks?
Feel free to forward this issue to a friend/colleague!
Subscribe here.
Till next time,
Maria Miller