5 Maths Gems #36

One twelvemonth agone today I started my gems series. In my outset gems post I explained my thinking:

"I’m fairly novel to Twitter. My absence over the final few years agency I’ve missed out on thousands of first-class educational activity ideas. Twitter is a rootage of endless inspiration. So I accept a plan. I’m going to write a weekly post highlighting 5 smashing novel ideas I’ve gleaned from Twitter. These posts volition assist me think things. And hopefully my readers volition create goodness too."

I was right - these posts actually create assist me think things. They assist me procedure as well as organise lots of practiced ideas.

Since I returned to function from motherhood learn out inwards Jan I haven't been able to post every week, only I create even as well as thus write a twosome of Gem Awards helpful - this is a post I wrote inwards Apr 2015 where I picked out some of my favourite ideas as well as resources.

Today I acquaint my 36^th gems post. I promise there's something useful for y'all here.

1. Area Maze
I beloved the novel Area Maze puzzles from Naoki Inaba. Alex Bellos featured them every bit his Monday Puzzle inwards The Guardian this week. The aim is to uncovering the missing value marked alongside a inquiry mark. These puzzles tin endure solved using alone whole numbers. Alex's article featured a alternative of Area Mazes, from this example...

... to this.

These are perfect puzzles for students - accessible yet challenging. There's a costless app too.

2. Warm-Ups

I've read some dainty posts nearly lesson starters recently. These are all worth a read if you're looking for fresh ideas to start your lessons:

• Weekly Warm-Up Schedule 2015-2016 yesteryear Sarah Hagan (@mathequalslove) 
• Warm-Ups 2.0 by Mary Bourassa (@MaryBourassa)
• Top 5 for Starters by Christine Norledge (@MissNorledge)

I specially similar Sarah Hagan's Good Things - I innovation to purpose it every bit a weekly activity inwards shape fourth dimension side yesteryear side year.

I've also latterly discovered maths-starters.co.uk, which is currently nether development. I similar Calculate Cascade and Parallel Panic. 

3. Desmos Activities

Polygraph Rocks volition rank y'all a practiced persuasion what it's all about. I'm excited nearly trying out Polygraph Quadrilaterals, Water Line as well as Tile Pile.

Desmos latterly announced the launch of Activity Builder. This allows teachers to construct their ain Desmos activities as well as portion them alongside other teachers for purpose inwards their lessons. There's a blog post hither explaining how it works.

This calendar week I've seen loads of bright novel Desmos activities. Here's iii examples that demo the versatility of this tool:

• Loco yesteryear Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) - a fantastic introduction to loci.
• Polygraph Scatter Plot yesteryear Megan Schmidt (@Veganmathbeagle) - an first-class Polygraph activity. It develops vocabulary for describing scatter graphs.
• blog post.

I also spotted this activity Intro to graphs as well as desmos basics by Sara B. Vaughn ‏(@Vaughn_trapped) which has inspired me to brand my ain activity to innovate Desmos to my students.

4. Pixel Puzzles
Stacy Brookes (@Stacy_Maths) continues to write helpful blog posts nearly where to uncovering resources. She also creates many first-class resources of her own. I similar her novel persuasion - pixel puzzles. In these engaging worksheets, students respond questions as well as uncovering the corresponding answers inwards a grid. They shade the right answers as well as the shaded squares shape a picture. This is a smashing persuasion as well as I await frontwards to seeing to a greater extent than of these from Stacy. I've added them to my resource library.

5. Fractions inwards Geogebra
Here's mortal novel to follow on Twitter: Neil Dickson (Equivalent Fractions which features this Geogebra tool which tin endure used to back upward the educational activity of fractions. Have a play alongside it, it's excellent. I beloved fact that y'all tin drag ane diagram onto the other to run into the equivalence.

Update

I accept a novel Facebook page! It's facebook.com/resourceaholic. Please similar it! I was inspired yesteryear Ed's facebook page facebook.com/solvemymaths which I uncovering actually helpful. It's slow to missy things on Twitter only similar a shot I never missy Ed's posts.

I enjoyed Stuart Price's (Gems 34 - I'd never heard of Pearltrees earlier this). I intend to comport on organising resources inwards my workshop at #mathsconf5. Have y'all got your ticket yet?

That's it for this week. One twelvemonth of maths gems - as well as enough to a greater extent than even as well as thus to come. Happy anniversary to me.

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