Understanding abstract concepts is essential to
student success in math, but some ideas are hard to grasp and sometimes
students struggle to learn them. Teachers often use manipulatives to
help students understand a new concept in more tangible terms.
Virtual manipulatives are interactive web-based
representations of their physical counterparts that not only allow
teachers to demonstrate a concept, they give students a way to manipulate
the objects to construct mathematical knowledge. DreamBox recently
introduced DreamBox Teacher Tools, free virtual manipulatives for use
in the classroom.
DreamBox Teacher Tools: a uniquely effective set of virtual manipulatives
At DreamBox, our board-certified teachers worked
closely with our software developers to create the virtual manipulatives
that are core to all DreamBox Learning lessons. These manipulatives were
developed based on both research and real-world experience with
what’s effective in the classroom. These tools help students
better understand core math concepts, giving them opportunities to build
knowledge through hands-on experience. As they engage directly in the
problem-solving process, students can explore new strategies, replaying
lessons and self-correcting as necessary. Now, in addition to our
recently-introduced open number line and quick images tools, DreamBox is
announcing the availability of two new manipulatives!
Snap Blocks: Determining Equality™
The virtual Snap Blocks™ tool was invented by
DreamBox as a visually engaging way for students to explore the concept of
equality. As they develop efficient computation strategies, they get an
important foundation for early algebra.
DreamBox Learning’s Snap Blocks provide a visual
representation of numbers. Using them, students begin to comprehend the
relationship between quantities, building understanding of the meaning of
the equal sign and the concept of equivalence. Students explore relational
(algebraic) thinking by grasping the numeric relationships between the two
sides of the equal sign, instead of simply adding everything to determine equivalence.
To download a PDF with more detail on the Snap Blocks:
Determining Equality lessons and ideas on using them in your classroom, go to
http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools-snap-blocks.
Match-n-Make: Identifying Pairs™
The match-n-make virtual manipulative is a game that
gives students a fun way to practice computation strategies, identifying
number patterns and relationships. This series of lessons engages students
to develop fluency in identifying number pairs that add up to landmark
numbers. These lessons can be used as stand-alone activities or supplemental
to your math curriculum.
To download a PDF with more information on the
Match-n-Make: Identifying Pairs lessons go to
http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools-match-n-make.
For each of the four DreamBox Teacher Tools, we include
a range of lessons and ideas for using them in your classroom with an
interactive white board or projector, or on a computer with a small group.
These resources support the professional development of teachers as they
learn to incorporate the virtual manipulatives into lessons that support
students’ mathematical learning. Any teacher can access the free
http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools-match-n-make.
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