"When will we ever use this?" Answer this question using Math Apprentice. Users choose a character and then begin their journey. Walk (or skateboard) to different work sites, buildings, or businesses. Learn how many is used every day in these work places: architecture, bike and toy makers, cafes, and more! Listen to a brief introduction of the concept. Solve problems or free play to identify math concepts in real life. No account or login is required. Some concepts are advanced but it can take the teaching of standards one step further and create better understanding. This site is a terrific example of STEM integrated learning.
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This intriguing site has the user choose an “answer,” and then the computer asks 20 questions trying to determine what your answer is. The answers to the 20 questions aren’t just YES or NO; they also include SOMETIMES, PROBABLY, IRRELEVANT, and others.

When you arrive at the site, click your language (there are MANY languages to choose from). Enter your gender, age, and location (optional). Then choose the “game” you wish to try. Some are more commercial (Disney, The Simpsons, or Star Trek). Others have educational value (Harry Potter, Earth, or Classic, Famous people). This is a fun and challenging activity. There are disclaimers that the "game gets smarter" the more you play because the game compiles facts over time. It is involving and fun to play. The site does include some advertisements.
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Play interesting word, math, and other games with this free site. Specific topics include “Strategy Games and Quests,” “Problems and Brainteasers,” “Zero Gravity,” “Entrapment,” “Junior Edition Games,” and several others.

Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting activity to try. On its page, click to play the game, read the directions for play, bookmark the specific game, or generate a link for embedding in a website, wiki, or blog. Printable game worksheets that can be customized can also be found on this site. Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. Teachers should decide whether you are willing tolerate the extensive ads in light of the high-value site content.
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Looking for simple ways to showcase simple math and science concepts? No money for classroom materials? Look no further. Use these simple instructions for making educational toys using everyday materials. Each toy easily demonstrates concepts that are basic for understanding processes of science. View an unbelievable amount of toys under the following categories: "Amazing Astronomy," "Pumps from the Dump," "Math Magic," "Paper Fun," Tipping Toppling Toys," Motor and Generator," "Electricity and Magnetism," "Newton Unplugged," "Fun with Pressure," "Fun with Light," "Toys from Trash," "Simple Sounds," "Strong Structures," "Flying Toys," "Force Fun," "Spinning Toys," and others. View annotated photos of the construction process or download detailed instructions. This site requires adobe Acrobat. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Looking for interactive math resources and their use in everyday life? Math Interactives provide a variety of topics with interactive options for each. View "Use it" to access guided practice for students or "Explore it" for activities that can be used as a teacher demo or practice activities. Additional quicktime videos about the topic and support materials are included. Example topics in the "Number" category include Fractions, Integers, and Exponents. Other categories include "Patterns and Relations," "Shape and Space," and "Statistics and Probability."
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Play interesting word, math, and other activities with this free site. Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting challenge to try. On its page, click to play the game, read the directions for play, bookmark the specific game, or generate a link for embedding in a website, wiki, or blog. Printable game worksheets that can be customized can also be found on this site. Some of the specific topics include magic squares, attributions, hangman, strategy games, and more.

Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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At this site, students practice recognizing symmetry, rotational symmetry in figures, and creating symmetry. Simply click on the little red squares to rotate and create shapes. This site offers a related lesson plan (click on the Lessons link on the right side of the page).
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This site offers practice in recognizing dihedral symmetry. Students also practice reflections in figures and symmetry. Simply click on the red squares to alter and rotate the figures. There is also a lesson plan available (click on "Recognizing Transformations").
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This interactive activity is a primary Krypto using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You will build number sense as well as computation skills. The rules are simple: combine five numbers and choose the operation in between to obtain the final "target" number. Primary Krypto uses the numbers 1-10 only. You simply "drag and drop" the numbers to the correct locations. To choose the operation, you click on the smaller boxes and the symbols (+, -, etc) appear. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This traditional "Tower of Hanoi" challenges secondary (and possibly gifted elementary) students to move all of the interactive discs from the left peg to the right peg. The goal is to move the discs using the lowest number of moves. This site requires Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This collection of editors' choices from TeachersFirst will spark summer excitement for parents and kids alike. Whether your want to create something, ignite new learning, or hold on to what you already know, you will savor these safe, reviewer-recommended resources. Be sure to share with your friends, neighbors, and family. Teachers will want to share this page with students departing for summer break. Summer will never be "boring" again!
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This site offers links to "The Best Math." Subject areas include numbers, geometry, fractions, multiplication, math fun, measurement, statistics, and probability. This collection of nearly 100 interactive math activities was organized by a math specialist (Johnnie Wilson, a former 5th grade teacher). What a fabulous resource for any elementary or middle school math class. All of the activities are interactive and require FLASH or JAVA. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This Thanksgiving website provides the teachers and students with some new ideas for Thanksgiving vocabulary. The interactive activity challenges students to figure out several word puzzles. There is also a wordbank and lesson plan ideas. Many of the puzzles are printable.
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The KENKEN craze is spreading quickly across the world! Created in 2004 by Japanese Math Teacher, Tetsuya Miyamoto, these puzzles are fun, educational, and addictive. At first, these puzzles appear very similar to Sudoku puzzles. They have a few added components (more math and logic required). There are various levels of difficulties (3x3 puzzles through 9x9 puzzles). For 3x3 puzzles, you use only numbers 1-3, for 4x4 puzzles you use only numbers 1-4, and so on. At the time of our review of this brand-new puzzle, the 3x3 puzzles had not been created. But they add new puzzles daily, so check back! The rules are simple: each number can only be used once in any row or column. There are also "cages" which are represented by heavily outlined sets of squares. The goal is to produce the target number (in the corner of the cage). Numbers can be repeated within one cage, just so the number is not already in the row or column. Want to learn more? View the How to Play link that includes written instructions and a tutorial video. Puzzles are also PRINTABLE. Don't miss the link for teachers. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This Study Skills site is fabulous! The activities are all divided by ages (5-9, 10-14, and 15-18). Each age level includes teacher information, parent information, and Learners… the link to find the neat interactives! Each age level also highlights four key areas: Do, Get, Remember, and Understand. Each area includes some age-appropriate text and interactives.

Highlights from the youngest level (ages 5-9) include Reading for Information, Sorting Shapes, Sorting Information, Kim's Game, Writing About Different Things, and others. The middle level (ages 10-14) includes Time Management, Exam Preparation, Note Taking, Revision, Memory Tips, Mindmaps, Pictograms, and others. The older students (ages 15-18) delve into topics such as Summarizing, Essay Writing, Learning Styles, Referencing, Learning from Lectures, and several others.

For professional purposes, there are also links (some PDF files) to research about the importance of teaching study skills. This site makes it easy and fun to teach these life skills! This site was creating in the United Kingdom, so you may notice a few spelling and pronunciation differences from American English. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This site features engaging movie scenes (in Quicktime and Flash formats) that involve Math problems. Beside each clip and title is an explanation of the Math concept in the clip. Most are secondary level, but a few are for lower grades. If you click on the TITLE of the movie, you will be lead to a site to purchase, rate, and/or view the movie in its entirety. To avoid this confusion, be sure to click on the “Play the Flash Version or QuickTime” links. These links lead directly to the “math clip.” Links at the bottom lead to other movie collections websites. This site requires Flash or Quicktime. Get either here
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Visit this site to find "ready-to-go" critical thinking activities, math activities, reading comprehension activities, language arts fun, puzzles and more! The math and language arts activities include grade levels. There is Irish Sudoku, the story of "Leprechauns at the Amusement Park" and many more highly diverse and educational activities. Some activities are for "members only", but most of the activities are open to everyone.
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Do you see the guerilla? Use the basketball mind stretcher to find out! This site offers some traditional and not so traditional mind stretchers. The general topic areas include How Your Brain Works, Attention, Memory, Pattern Recognition and Planning, Visual Workouts, Visual Illusions, Language and Logic, and others. Some of the activities are quick (less than a minute) while others require more time. The activities could be used in many subject areas; there are language activities, math, general logic, and even some for physical education.

Be aware: each mind stretcher activity includes a blog. Some of the blog comments may not be appropriate, so be sure to READ any blogs that you plan to share. You may want to make these activities a group challenge, rather than individual exploration. Many are interactive and require Flash or Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This site offers some fabulous (and addicting) mind stretchers. There are both visual and verbal puzzles. There is also a puzzle archive featuring a variety of puzzles for various grade levels. Some of the puzzles are interactive and you complete them online, while others are printable. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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The next time a research project comes along, send students to this site to help them get organized. Think Tank is designed to assist in the development of topics and subtopics for reports and projects. After defining their subject or perusing a list of suggestions, students are asked to narrow the scope of their project by choosing from a collection of subtopics. Results may be printed.
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