DreamBox Learning K-2 Math has over 350 math lessons and puzzles. It’s the most effective, individualized learning experience for each student!
DreamBox uses “virtual manipulatives,” special online tools that help students solve problems in a hands-on way. Students develop deeper understanding when they actually “build” an answer rather than just entering or choosing an answer. As students play lessons, the program adapts to offer learning opportunities that are appropriate just for them.
Click on the links below to play sample lessons and puzzles that cover different math topics. As you play, try answering incorrectly so you can see the many ways lessons dynamically adapt to support learning. If you aren’t sure what to do, click the HELP button!
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Counting 6 — 10.
This math lesson is part of a series that helps students develop strategies
for counting numbers 1 to 100. The virtual tools used in these lessons push
students beyond counting by ones to using groups of 2, 3, 5 and 10. After
successfully building numbers in an initial lesson, students are given more
“restrictions.” For example, building numbers starting from a
number other than 0. This series finishes with “quick image”
lessons. An image is shown just long enough to identify the amount, but not
long enough to count each object individually.
Play this lesson.
(You can also view the Tenframe tutorial.)
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Building a Decade of a Hundreds Chart.
Early learners often struggle to “wrap” or move to the next row on
a hundreds chart, and the distance between numbers can be hard to grasp. For
example, the number 30 is just one space away from 40 on a hundreds chart. The
number 31 is far from 30, but the value is much closer than 40. So many students
think that 30 and 40 are closer in value than 30 and 31. Knowing this is challenging
for many students, DreamBox includes lessons where students build a hundreds
chart, one decade at a time. Students love this series and often want to play
it over and over!
Play this lesson.
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Doubles and Near Doubles.
Many students can quickly learn to calculate doubles automatically. By exploring
relationships between doubles and “near doubles” (such as 6+7),
students begin to “automatize” basic facts that can seem challenging.
The lesson featured here is in the middle of this series of related problems.
First, students “build” doubles and near doubles on the mathrack.
Then students will use a “symbolic” display (such as “Double
4”) instead of a mathrack display.
Play this lesson.
(You can also view the mathrack tutorial.)
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Puzzles in the Carnival |
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Maze. Students learn early “programming”
skills as they choose a sequence of “directions” and “distances”
to successfully navigate through the maze. There are 9 increasingly challenging levels.
By the end, students “program” 3 steps at a time, collect mushrooms, avoid
trolls, and reach the end of the maze before their turns run out!
Play this lesson.
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Petting Zoo. This game was carefully designed to
build spatial reasoning. Although the mouse requirements can be difficult for new computer
users, research indicates that requiring the student to carefully place the animals in the
pen, as opposed to letting technology “lock them into place”, has a greater impact
on one’s ability to understand space.
Play this lesson.
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Frog Race. Initially, students build the race
course by placing flags at every tenth interval. Then, students’ frogs race against the
competition. The student must choose the starting point closest to the presented number (the
fly finish line), and tell his or her frog the correct distance to hop in order to win! In
earlier levels, the starting points are always on a multiple of ten and on the positive side
of the number line. Later levels include negative numbers.
Play this lesson.
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Dunk Tank. Students manipulate the mathrack and
develop strategies in this modern version of the classic 4-in-a-Row game. There are 9
different levels, varying the use of even and odd numbers and the number of buttons available
to manipulate the mathrack. These variations challenge students to modify their strategies
based on the existing constraints.
Play this lesson.
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DreamBox tutorials are very different from the Adventure Park lessons and Carnival Puzzles. Many of the virtual manipulatives are introduced with a tutorial to teach students how to use it.