Jefferson County Schools, in Tennessee, has a great collection of educational links on their website. Check on these pages on Geometry, Graphing, Fractions and Algebra. For more math links, check out the math page, which has 14 categories to choose from.

APlus Math has a variety of online flashcard games. The Math-O game is a fun way to practice addition facts. You can also create and print your own flashcards here.

MathBrain is a popular one with my students. You can choose your grade level and game piece that marks your place on the game board. The arcade-style games focus on various areas of math. Students love the fact that when you take a break, you can get a password that allows returning users to pick up where they left off.

FreeMathHelp is a wonderful resource for junior high and high school students. The lessons focus on: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and Statistics. After the lesson, students can play games for practice, or ask questions on the message boards.

Several of my students have had great success in boosting their math skills with the videos from the Khan Academy. I’ve introduced a few different ones, but they seem to go back to these most often. If you aren’t familiar with it, take a look at the website, where you’ll find the entire video library or subscribe to the Khan Academy channel on YouTube.

Salman Khan is the man behind the Khan Academy. Sal describes the mission for his not-for-profit organization as “providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere. We have 700+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance.”

Mathionaire is a site I recently came across.  It is intended for students in grades 3 and up, for practicing math skills.  If you answer incorrectly, you start at the beginning again.  Students can use the 50/50, phone-a-friend, or ask-the-audience options if they need extra help.

How well students are learning the state standards is measured by their achievement on state tests. Students are best prepared by daily teaching of the content of state standards.  However, they need to be familiar with the style and format of the test, understand the importance of the test, and learn test-taking
strategies to build confidence.

Many of you have begun familiarizing your child with test-taking skills by integrating it into your weekly lesson plans.  You may also want to use test prep materials for several weeks preceding testing time.  There are a number of books you can purchase from Barnes and Noble or The Report Card.  Spectrum Publishing offers a series of Test Prep workbooks in many grade levels.  Look for the Spectrum California Test Preparation series.   Buckle Down can be ordered on Varsity here.

You can also use free materials from the Internet.  The state education website contains a variety of helpful information on their website, including study guides, released test questions and test blueprints that you can use with your child.   For information and former prompts for the 4th and 7th grade writing tests and other STAR tests, go to the CA State Department of Education website (www.cde.ca.gov ), click on Testing and Accountability, click on Standardized testing and Report (STAR), then click on Program Resources.  There you’ll find STAR resources and past prompts, as well as questions and answers about the test.

Here are a few places to look for resources on teaching sight and frequently used words.

• Resource site from Open Court
• Dolch Sight Word Activities
• Dolch Word Flashcards
• Free printable booklets for emergent readers

At the technology conference, I learned about kerpoof.  They earned the Parent’s Choice award this fall.  Read their review below.

Kerpoof

Fall 2008 Website

KerPoof is a free online multimedia software that allows children to explore their creativity by drawing, making animated movies, writing and illustrating stories, producing pictures and cards and more. The software is intuitive and easy to use, giving children – even those who aren’t proficient in art – an opportunity to produce and share successful artwork quickly and without frustration. KerPoof’s library of stock images goes far beyond ordinary fare. Here, the images are interesting and varied, the themes go well beyond the scope of pirates and fairy gardens. The color palettes vary from bold to subtle, and the tools that invite children to consider and adjust an object’s perspective is among the attributes that makes this website stand heads and shoulders above others offering similar activities.

Lexipedia is an online visual semantic network. It has a dictionary and thesaurus reference, and supports the following languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. There are similar programs available by subscription, but Lexipedia is completely free!