math + numeracy

Isn't it funny how kids are fascinated by money? The State quarters certainly proved that! And did you know there's a new American Bison nickel ? That and many other interesting coin facts are presented on this site from from the US Mint called h.i.p. Pocket Change - "hip" being an acronym for "history in your pocket." There are games and cartoons and downloadable books, all to give your students information on the production of coins, their history, and an introduction to coins from other countries. Check it out at http://www.usmint.gov/kids/flashIndex.cfm. Great nonfiction reading for your kids.

The people who built this next website had an nifty idea. This site from Australia features online newspaper articles that deal with mathematical concepts - like number, data collection, probability, chance. Students read the article, then answer questions posed by the teacher. Truthfully, the site is meant for much older students - but the concept could be adapted to any grade level. Could you do this with an article from The Citizen? the Concord Monitor? the Union Leader? Take a look at this site and see what you think. Numeracy in the News is at http://ink.news.com.au/mercury/mathguys/mercindx.htm

Webmath says it's "devoted to making the world of math a little less complicated." Fill in the forms and the webpages will show students step-by-step calculations and money counting. The site explains ratios and fractions and deals with the metric system, geometry, and time. There's lots for us grown-up, too. I don't know which was scarier - my age in weeks or my estimated retirement savings! Give Webmath a click - http://www.webmath.com/.

This last one isn't anything you can use in class - although you might be able to use it on a field trip! Roadsign Math challenges travelers to find mathematical properties in the signs we see by the side of the road. Couldn't elementary age kids do this to some extent? Roadsign Math at http://www.roadsignmath.com/. ps: This site reminds me of Deirdre's fascination with adding up the digits on license plates!

And as long as we're talking math, here's a reminder about the Virtual Manipulatives website from a few posts back. It's still hands-down one of the best math sites I've seen.