Lisa Hawley
Elementary Teacher
Technology Resources for Third Grade Math Common Core
Summary: This applet allows students to choose a multiplication fact, such as 6 x 5. It shows them an array for that fact by coloring in all the boxes from 1 to their chosen fact. On the right side and the bottom, it shows the count for the rows or columns.
Summary: Math Baseball is a game for practicing fluency. Depending on the level selected, students can practice any basic single-digit facts, up to multi-digit calculation. There is an option to play “algebra-style” with a missing number in the problem rather than a missing answer.
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Math Playground's Math Arcade
Summary: Math Playground’s Math Arcade presents several fluency games that all work on the same basic model, with different graphics. Students are presented with a math fact and 4 answer choices. They must click the correct answer to move their avatar forward in the race.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Numbers and Operations in Base 10
Numbers and Operations - Fractions
Measurement and Data
Geometry
Math Boat Rounding
Summary: There are four versions of Math Boat Rounding. Two versions involve rounding numbers to the nearest 10 or nearest 100. Two versions ask students to name a number that would round to a particular 10 or 100. In all versions, students must decide which direction they need to move their boat and give the answer to that arrow. Students complete a level by collecting all the red flags without hitting any obstacles.
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Summary: This activity provides practice in rounding numbers to the nearest ten or nearest hundred. If students miss a question, the site provides an explanation of how to round that particular number.
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Fraction Model
Summary: Fraction Model allows students to explore fractions with various numerators and denominators. Students can adjust the sliders, or click on each section to color it. There are choice for length models, area models, and set models
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Summary: In Match the Fraction, students are given a fraction to recreate on the number line. They can adjust the denominator of the fraction using the arrows. They click on the number line to adjust the numerator.
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Summary: Number Rights is a video showing students that fractions are numbers on a number line, just like whole numbers.
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Summary: Pearl Diver is a game that allows students to practice placing fractions on a number line. A part of a number line is given at the bottom of the screen. Students are asked to “dive” for a given number on that number line. If they are correct, they find a pearl. The first two rounds involve whole numbers. The following levels use fractions.
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Summary: Equivalent Fractions allows students to explore how to create equivalent fractions, using both an area model and a number line model.
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Summary: Three Equal Shares is a video clip from the CyberChase series showing how to share something three ways. A related video, Feed that Dog, is also available on the site and shows how they split 2 apples three ways
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Shape Explorer
Summary: Shape Explorer shows students a shape on the grid and asks them to find the area and perimeter. When they check the answer, it tells them whether they are right or wrong. If wrong, it allows them to try again.
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Summary: With the block perimeter applet, students can build a shape with squares and explore the relationship between perimeter and area. The applet keeps track of the area as students add squares. It will show the perimeter when students click the perimeter button.
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Calculating Rectangular Area Video
Summary: Calculating Rectangular Area is a clip from a CyberChase video. It shows how the children use a grid to count the number of squares in a rectangular area. Its companion clip, Comparing Regular and Irregular Areas shows how to use a grid to count the squares in an irregular area.
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Summary: In the Measurement game, students can practice measuring in inches or centimeters. Depending on the level chosen, students can measure to the nearest 1/2 inch to the nearest 1/16 inch. In centimeters, they can measure to whole centimeters up to tenths of a centimeter.
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Summary: This activity asks students to build “space ships” with the same perimeter but different areas.
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Summary: This series of three CyberChase video clips highlights the importance of scale on a bar graph.
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Summary: Create a Graph allows students to input data to create various kinds of graphs.
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Geogebra: Quadrilaterals
Summary: Geogebra is a free software program that allows students to explore geometry and algebra concepts. This activity provides students with examples of different types of quadrilaterals that can be manipulated while still retaining their defining properties.
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Geogebra: All Kinds of Parallelograms
Summary: This activity allows students to change the shape of a parallelogram. It will remain a parallelogram through all changes. This user on Geogebra has also created similar apps for other quadrilaterals.
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Similar Materials
This is a list of some free, online resources for teaching mathematics in the third grade. The list is organized by the domains of the Math Common Core - Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Numbers and Operations in Base 10, Numbers and Operations - Fractions, Measurement and Data, Geometry. For each resource, you can go directly to the site by clicking the title or the picture. In CEP 805, Learning Math with Technology, my classmates and I evaluated each resource, and there is a link to the analysis at the end of each entry. In the analyses, you can find information on alignment with NCTM's standards, as well as the benefits and limitations of each technology. I hope these resources will help you to enhance your mathematics teaching!
Call of Geometry: Quadrilateral Warfare
Summary: Based on the popular Call of Duty series of video games, this game asks students to shoot at certain types of quadrilaterals. If you have students who are interested in this series, Quadrilateral Warfare may be a good way to practice identifying quadrilaterals.
Click here for analysis by Emily Ambs
