Still Working on the Index

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

With the less-than-help of my daughter’s cat, I’ve made it through several cycles of editing my Prealgebra & Geometry index. If you’re curious about the process, you may enjoy my behind-the-scenes peek at How to DIY a Nonfiction Index.

There’s yet a ways to go, but it’s starting to look like what I want. The index includes game listings by category: card games, pencil and paper games, cooperative games, solitaires, etc.

One of the entries is “Games, Complete List of.”

So I counted…

Officially, the book features 41 games that help prepare students for high school math by playing with number properties, mixed operations, integers, algebraic functions, coordinate geometry, and more.

But when I counted all the official game listings plus all the game variations that were different enough to have their own names — 62 games.

Wow!

Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School is scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

Only by Thinking

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

The full quote, as it appears in my new book:

When we give students a rule, we give them permission not to think. All they need to do is remember our instructions.

But it is only by thinking — by struggling their way through mental difficulties — that our students can build a foundation of mathematical knowledge strong enough to support future learning.

—Denise Gaskins
Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School

 
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Excerpted from my upcoming book, Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School, scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

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If you’d like to help fund the blog on an on-going basis, then please join me on Patreon for mathy inspiration, tips, and an ever-growing archive of printable activities.

If you liked this post, and want to show your one-time appreciation, the place to do that is PayPal: paypal.me/DeniseGaskinsMath. If you go that route, please include your email address in the notes section, so I can say thank you.

Which I am going to say right now. Thank you!

“Only by Thinking” copyright © 2020 by Denise Gaskins. Image at the top of the post copyright © Sean Kong on Unsplash.

Math Game: Hit Me

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

I believe this was the first math game I ever invented. Of course, ideas are common currency, so I’m sure other math teachers thought of it before I did. But to me, it was original.

I’ve blogged about the game before, but here’s the updated version as it appears in my new book Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School — scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

Hit Me

Math Concepts: integer addition, absolute value.

Players: two or more.

Equipment: playing cards (two decks may be needed for a large group).

Continue reading Math Game: Hit Me

Morning Coffee – 10 August 2020

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Morning Coffee image

One of the best ways we can help our children learn mathematics (or anything else) is to always be learning ourselves.

Here are a few stories to read with your morning coffee this week:

“The happy truth about doing math with your kids is that it’s way more fun than you’re expecting it to be. It’s not about right answers, and it’s not about speed. It’s about playing, counting, building, sorting, and studying the wonderful, colorful world around us.”

—Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook
How to help your kids fall in love with math: a guide for grown-ups

Continue reading Morning Coffee – 10 August 2020

Working on the Index — Part Two

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

This morning is day-of-rest time, streaming the church service. I’m still avoiding as much contact with people as I can manage since I may be going back at any time to help my elderly mom, and I don’t want to carry the virus to her.

But this evening, I’ll probably be back at my desk, slogging through the Index work on my Prealgebra & Geometry Games book — scheduled for publication in early 2021. (Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.)

So here’s the second installment of my behind-the-scenes peek at just part of what goes into making a book, reprinted from the Alliance of Independent Authors blog.

Continue reading Working on the Index — Part Two

Working on the Index — Part One

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Now I’ve got a tiny streak going, it seems like a shame to miss a day of blogging. So here’s a bit of behind-the-scenes as I work on finishing up the new book.

By the way: Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School is scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

So, back to the Index. Here’s a post I wrote for the Alliance of Independent Authors blog last year. If you ever wondered what goes into designing a book, this is just a little of the detail work…

Continue reading Working on the Index — Part One

Mathematicians Play

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

The full quote, as it appears in my Math You Can Play books:

Mathematicians don’t sit around doing the kind of math that you learned in school. What they do is “play around” with number games, spatial puzzles, strategy, and logic.

They don’t just play the same old games, though. They change the rules a little, and then they look at how the game changes.

So, when you play games, you are doing exactly what mathematicians really do — IF you fool with the games a bit, experiment, see how the play changes if you change a rule here and there.

Oh, and when you make up games and they flop, be sure to examine why they flop — that is a big huge part of what mathematicians do, too.

—Pam Sorooshian
Games and Math

Excerpted from my upcoming book, Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School, scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

CREDIT: “Blue night” photo by Vincent Chin on Unsplash.

Moving Patterns Game on Kickstarter

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

We all know kids like to move. But did you know you can harness all of that innate energy into developing a conceptual understanding of mathematics?

“The Moving Patterns Game is an active, self-directed game featuring patterns, footwork, friends, and math. Dancing makes life fun, and math makes the dancing more interesting!”

—Malke Rosenfeld

Continue reading Moving Patterns Game on Kickstarter

Math Game: What Two Numbers?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Here’s a simple, conversational game you can play anywhere — no equipment necessary. It’s great for helping your children develop number fluency and algebraic thinking.

Excerpted from my upcoming book, Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School, scheduled for publication in early 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates.

What Two Numbers?

Math Concepts: addition, multiplication, inverse operations, positive and negative numbers.

Players: two or more.

Equipment: no equipment needed.

Continue reading Math Game: What Two Numbers?