Volume 7, #4
December 2002

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Teaching Mathematics Using the Internet

By Ria Mastromatteo, Educational Technology Consultant ()

In case you didn't know, I was a math teacher in one of my former lives and it is my first love! Since I have been at PBS 45 & 49, I have spent some time trying to find math sites that would help the kids and also save you the time it takes to hunt for them yourself. I've tried to find sites where several students can be engaged in self-monitored activity, sites that meet the learning outcomes from the state and sites where you can find ideas to supplement your current lesson activities. Some of my favorites are

Basic Skills Practice

• A+ Math (Primary to Grade 6) offers skill games, flash cards, a homework helper and worksheets at http://www.aplusmath.com/.
  
• AAA Math features hundreds of activities for students through Grade 8 at http://aaamath.com/index.html.
  
• FunBrain (all grades) has a variety of games. Practice exercises are fun! Go to http://www.funbrain.com/.
  
• At Math Maven Mysteries (Grades 3-7) students become detectives and have to solve the mystery using math. You have to have the kids show work because the answer is given online. Check it out at http://teacher.scholastic.com/maven/index.htm .
  

Online Tutorials

• Math-Abundance (Grades 8-12) is a ThinkQuest site that offers tutorials on topics from pre-algebra through calculus. Each topic includes well-written definitions, sample problems and interactive quizzes. Go to http://library.thinkquest.org/20991/home.html .
  

Lesson Plans

• At McREL: Lesson Plan Index Standards Activities, you select the subject area and the grade level and you get standards-based lessons in that area. Take a look at http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/activities/index.asp .
  
• Illuminations from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics offers excellent standards-based lessons using higher order thinking skills at http://illuminations.nctm.org.
  

I have LOTS more sites on my web page. My web address is http://wneo.org/staff/mariaweb1.htm. When you get there, select Mathematics (either secondary or elementary). There's also a page on probability and statistics.

I Love Math!