Homeschool Math Blog

Here are some new worksheet generators for my HomeschoolMath.net site, especially meant for grades 6-7: Worksheets for the coordinate grid . You can make worksheets where students plot points on the coordinate plane, tell the coordinates of points, plot shapes from points, reflect shapes in the x or y-axis, or move them up, down, left, or right (translations). For example: Worksheets for the volume and surface area of cubes and rectangular prisms . The options include the usage of fractional edge lengths. You can also ask for surface area when volume is given or vice versa. For example:

Here's a resource for high schoolers (mostly)! Varsity Tutors has created a massive FREE practice test bank for all kinds of standardized tests, including SAT, SSAT, ISEE, GED, GMAT, HSPT, CLEP, AP, ACT, and ACCUPLACER -- and also generic subjects such as algebra 1, geometry, or calculus. It contains tens of thousands of practice problems. You can also create a free account so you can save your test results and keep track of progress over time, as well as create your own tests. Note: this is not for math only but includes English, science, reading, writing, social studies  and so on -- whatever subjects are tested in any particular test.

The group buy for Math Mammoth bundles at Homeschool Buyers Co-op is extended till January 31st... you get 40% off of the bundle prices! And... the sale at Kagi is still going on, till the end of January 2014. You get 24% off of ALL downloadable products (not just bundles) and CDs! Simply follow links to the order pages at Kagi from the product pages at MathMammoth.com .

For gifted/talented students! I got a note about a limited time offer for the Elements of Mathematics: Foundations course by IMACS: you can get 25% off if you order all 5 available courses before the end of January. You can also purchase the five courses separately. They are: Operational Systems This course covers modular arithmetic using secret codes and online games. The Integers This course introduces positive and negative integers with an unusual elevator and mysteriously disappearing nuts. Sets, Subsets and Set Operations This course introduces the building blocks of set theory, which provides the basic language in which most mathematical texts are written. Ordered n-Tuples ...interactive features such as taxi driver navigation and the rock-paper-scissors game give context to the properties of Cartesian product sets. Mappings Students explore various types of mappings, including permutations, with interactive ball sorters, slide rules and clever animations.

Math Teachers at Play #70 has been posted at Let's Play Math! Lots of good stuff, as usual! I have barely started browsing... the article on counting circles caught my attention so I haven't actually gotten to the other posts yet but I will!

From now till January 31, 2014, get 24% off of all Math Mammoth and Make It Real Learning downloads & CDs at Kagi store! Use the coupon code JANUARY at the order page at Kagi. To learn about the different books I sell and see samples, go to: Blue Series -- topical worktexts with instruction Light Blue Series -- complete curriculum Make It Real Learning -- activity workbooks about how math is used in real life Golden Series -- worksheet collections by grades Green Series -- worksheet collections by topics You will find links to Kagi's order pages from there. Or, if you are ready to order, you can use these direct links to the order pages: Order Light Blue series Order Blue series Order Golden and Green Series Order Make It Real Learning activity workbooks Order Bundles (CDs or downloads) Order Review workbooks Remember also, I am always ready to help you find the best book/product for your situation. For many people, a good starting point is

I've run many, many simple contests or giveaways for my Math Mammoth products in the past, and here's another one. But this one is different -- it is not based on luck. The prizes are 1. Everything bundle 2. All Inclusive 3. Light Blue series bundle Each winner can also optionally receive a 24K Gold CD . (Here's a nice collection of videos by 24K Gold for you to check out.) And... there may be more prizes than this!! : ) I can't really decide on the number of prizes when I haven't seen how many people entered and what kind of entries I get! The grand theme is: GREAT MATH MOMENT(S) I want you to WRITE some kind of a success story about math learning in your home/classroom/tutoring etc. -- something that will ENCOURAGE other parents! It can be one moment or many! It could be for example a description of a particular math activity a description of your student's study of math over a longer period of time a story of how your studen

Now that all 6 grades of the Light Blue series have been revised, past customers can get a free update! Those of you who have purchased the complete Light Blue series in the past at Kagi store or Educents : - I have emailed you about the update. You can download the revised version using the info in the email. Of course, some emails bounced back to me because the email address was outdated so if you suspect that, contact me directly . Those who have purchased at Currclick : - simply log in to your account at Currclick and download it from there (in your past purchases section). Those who purchased at Homeschool Buyers Co-op: - the co-op has published the update info in your co-op account. If you purchased the Light Blue series "piecemeal" at Kagi, and not as one single bundle, then you haven't been emailed. You can still get the update but you need to contact me directly .

I recently mentioned about changing math problems from closed to open , and gave a few examples. Just a few days ago my 5th grader was facing a page in Math Mammoth 5 filled with word problems that had to do with conversions between measuring units. So... I asked her to choose and solve 3 problems from that page, and THEN write her own story problem where the solver will need to convert measuring units. This is what she came up with. I guess I should have guessed the topic. :^) Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradablog/ There are three horses in a paddock, and each weighs a different amount. The first horse weighs 13,760 ounces, the second 1/2 ton, and the last one 1,100 pounds. What is the weight of all the horses together, in pounds? No calculator allowed. She needed some help, because in her original version, the weights of the horses were not realistic -- but it was good to have a discussion on that, as well. Try it yourself! Ask your kids to make story pro

Math Mammoth Grade 6 Complete Curriculum is a complete math program for 6th grade. And now, the completely revised version is ready! 6-A contents and samples 6-B contents and samples The two books (worktext part A and part B) deal with review of the basic operations with whole numbers beginning algebra topics: expressions, equations, and inequalities review of all decimal arithmetic introduction to ratios and percent prime factorization, GCF, and LCM a review of fraction arithmetic from 5th grade, plus a focus on division of fractions the concept of integers, coordinate grid, addition & subtraction of integers geometry: review of quadrilaterals & drawing problems; area of triangles & polygons; volume of rectangular prisms with fractional edge lengths; surface area statistics: concept of distribution, measures of center, measures of variation, boxplots, stem-and-leaf plots, histograms Check out the samples on the right! See more info here . You

Homeschool Buyers Co-op has a GROUP BUY for large Math Mammoth bundles. The discount in the group buys often reaches 50%! Also... I wanted to mention that later in January, I will run a sale for all MM downloads & CDs at Kagi store. :)

2014 Mathematics Game is here! Read the complete rules at Let's Play Math . Essentially, you're supposed to use each of the digits 2, 0, 1, and 4 and mathematical operations to form the counting numbers from 1 to 100. It's yearly challenge that is fun for all ages! I'll get you started with a few easy ones: 1 × (4 − 2) + 0 = 2 20 - 1 4 = 19 41 + 20 = 61 You can also use square root, factorial, decimals, and some other things. If you can't quite make it to 100... try do all the couting numbers from 1 to 20 or some other smaller goal. (I was able to do them from 1 to 20 in a fairly short time so that much is definitely possible. We'll have to see if complete solutions exist. This game is also 'live' at Math Forum where you can submit a complete solution, and possibly get it published.