Blog

Writing to Learn Math II

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

[Photo by Andy Hay.]

In addition to all the funny Google searches, I get plenty of normal inquiries about math topics. People come here looking for help with fractions, word problems, and math club activities — no surprise, those — but I would never have predicted the popularity of the search topic “writing in math class.”

Last year, I compiled a variety of math journal resources, but I’ve found many more since then, especially for older (high school and college) students. So if you’re looking for new ways to get your math students writing…

Continue reading Writing to Learn Math II

Free Learning Tools, Games, and More

Posted on by Denise Gaskins


[Photo by ♥Sage (resting… finally!).]

Browsing the Internet, I came across a slideshow called 101 Free Learning Tools, which explores “the idea that there is at least one excellent free learning tool (or site) for every learning problem, need or issue.”

Of course, many of these sites I already knew, at least by reputation. But there are plenty of interesting places that were new to me.

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Quotations XXII: Six Months in the Dark

Posted on by Denise Gaskins


[Photo by frozenchipmunk.]

School is in session, which means I am once again searching out pithy, inspirational quotations for my chalkboard. Some recent tidbits…

The more I work and practice, the luckier I seem to get.

— Gary Player
Quoted in Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell

Continue reading Quotations XXII: Six Months in the Dark

A Mathematician for President

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

In 1876, a politician made mathematical history. James Abram Garfield, the honorable Congressman from Ohio, published a brand new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem in The New England Journal of Education. He concluded, “We think it something on which the members of both houses can unite without distinction of party.”

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30+ Things to Do with a Hundred Chart

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

[Photo by geishaboy500 via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).]

Are you looking for creative ways to help your children study math? Even without a workbook or teacher’s manual, your kids can learn a lot about numbers. Just spend an afternoon playing around with a hundred chart (also called a hundred board or hundred grid).

My free 50-page PDF Hundred Charts Galore! printables file features 1–100 charts, 0–99 charts, bottom’s-up versions, multiple-chart pages, blank charts, game boards, and more. Everything you need to play the activities below and those in my new 70+ Things to Do with a Hundred Chart book.

Download Free “Hundred Charts Galore!” Printables

Shop for “70+ Things To Do with a Hundred Chart” Book

And now, let’s play…

Continue reading 30+ Things to Do with a Hundred Chart

Review: Kiss My Math

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Pre-algebra students stand at the threshold of adventure. Behind them lie the rocky plains of school arithmetic. Ahead, the trail winds into a murky, tangled woods and disappears in the shadows. Who knows what monsters might live in a place like that?

Actress and math maven Danica McKellar has traveled through the pre-algebra jungle and beyond, up the slopes to higher math. She survived the journey, and now, on the heels of her bestselling book for math-phobic middle schoolers, she has written Kiss My Math to guide uncertain students along their way.

Unlike the case with most Hollywood movies, this sequel is an improvement.

Continue reading Review: Kiss My Math

Hurricane Ike Drops In

Posted on by Denise Gaskins


[Photo by Niner.]

Thanks to the remnants of Hurricane-turned-Tropical-Depression Ike, our creek has risen well past last spring’s high-water mark. Of course, this is nothing compared to the devastation down south, but it’s enough to keep us trapped at home for the day.

If you’re curious about what’s around that corner of our driveway…

Continue reading Hurricane Ike Drops In

What a Difference a Year Makes

Posted on by Denise Gaskins


[Image from Let’s Play Math! blog, a little more than a year ago.]

Looks different, doesn’t it? My blog has changed so much in the past year that I hardly recognized it myself. I had some nostalgic fun clicking around the old articles — two of which still show up on the “Most Popular Posts” sidebar list.

I am so grateful to all of you have stuck with me and have passed my article links on to your fellow teachers or homeschooling friends. Thank you all!

If you’d like to explore the history of your blog or favorite website, you can enter the link at:

Internet Archive: The Wayback Machine

More Backwards Math

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

[Photo by *clairity*.]

Have you ever noticed how very different little girls are from little boys, in the way they play and in the way they think about things? Princess Kitten has been playing around with Backwards Math again, and my first thought was, “None of my boys would ever have done this with numbers.”

Continue reading More Backwards Math