Review #1: www.funbrain.com
3.N.10 Add and subtract (up to four-digit numbers) and multiply (up to two-digit numbers by a one-digit number) accurately and efficiently
This website is bright and colorful, with great kid-friendly graphics. It’s very user friendly with clear directions, using a number of pictures for students who are early readers. Use this site to work on skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It has an entire section dedicated to math games, called “Math Arcade.” The students are able to put in their grade level to insure that the games are developmentally appropriate. The games are placed in a series around a game board and as a student’s ability increases, they are able to move onto the next game. The website gives the students a password so they are able to return to their game at a later time.
Review #2: pbskids.org/cyberchase/games.html
3.N.1. Exhibit an understanding of the values of the digits in the base ten number system by reading, modeling, writing, comparing and ordering whole numbers through 9,999
This website is an offset of the larger pbs.org website, affiliated with the television network. It has a large number of games covering a broad variety of skills, including geometry, problem solving, patterns and fact knowledge. Each game has a cartoon character and includes movement and interesting sounds. Students should remain interested in these games – the teachers certainly did! Because of the large number of games, the teacher will need to go onto the website ahead of time and decide which games the students should complete. The opening page does not have descriptions of each game, so you need to go through each one to check its contents and appropriateness for your students. This can be time consuming, but it is worth the time.
Review #3: www.coolmath4kids.com
3.N.9 Know multiplication facts through 10 X 10 and related division facts. Use these facts to solve related problems.
This website is colorful and eye-catching, but very busy on the eyes. The many choices may overwhelm some younger students, so it may be best to set up the computer before the students sit down. Skills covered on this website include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. Some of the games are simple, so even though the concepts are difficult, older students (grades 4-6) may become easily bored. If a student needs additional reinforcement, short teaching lessons are also included with some games. They include a narrative lesson, diagrams and examples before the student plays the game. The section on long division is very thorough and worth taking a look.