Sample Math Lessons | DreamBox math learning game

Play sample DreamBox lessons and games

Over 500 lessons, with millions of paths through the curriculum

Adaptation: lessons, hints, level of difficulty, pace, sequence, and much more, are adapted for each student

Virtual manipulatives help students solve problems multiple ways

NCTM: Aligned with the Focal Points for Number and Operations and Algebra from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

DreamBox has a variety of lesson types

Kindergarten Adventure Park lessons teach new concepts and encourage fluency
Counting 6 — 10. Play this lesson. You can also view the Tenframe tutorial. 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.
Building a Decade of a Hundreds Chart. Play this lesson. 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!
Doubles and Near Doubles. Play this lesson. You can also view the mathrack tutorial. 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.
1st grade Adventure Park lessons teach new concepts and encourage fluency
Building Numbers in Different Ways (11-20). Play this lesson. You can also view the mathrack tutorial. Using our mathrack virtual manipulative, students learn that you can build the same number in several different ways, e.g. 10+3 = 7+6. Students can use a variety of strategies to solve these problems, including the commutative property (10+4 = 4+10), doubles or near doubles (10+4 = 7+7), and more.
Comparisons with More and Less Symbols. Play this lesson. Using the hungry alligator metaphor and starting with smaller numbers (1-10), students focus on using the symbols correctly. In 1st grade students focus on comparing numbers up to 100, but as they advance they can compare higher numbers. Then students are challenged to understand the values of numerals based on their place in the number. (For example, 587 and 578.) Eventually the alligator is removed and only the symbols remain. Other DreamBox lessons let students build their own comparisons using both virtual manipulatives and numerals.
Number Strings. Play this lesson. A “string” is a set of related problems used to highlight the relationships between problems. This particular strings lesson uses “10s facts” (such as 10 + 4) to solve “9s facts” and “11s facts” (such as 9 + 4 or 11+ 4). Other strings lessons focus on doubles, near doubles, “8s facts,” and (12s facts).
2nd grade Adventure Park lessons teach new concepts and encourage fluency
Building Equal Expressions with Snap Blocks™. Play this lesson. You can also view the Snap Blocks™ tutorial. Snap Blocks lessons provide opportunities for students to build and evaluate expressions with multiple addends (like 3+4+6 = 1+6+6), to help build understanding of the equal sign. Building the expressions so the values are equal introduces the concept both sides of the equation can be “canceled”. We increase the difficulty by increasing the number of addends on each side of the equation, using larger addends, and more. This series ends with quick true/false, equal/not equal, and less than/equal to/more than lessons, which build fluency and efficiency.
Addition using “Compensation Buckets™”. Play this lesson. One of the most efficient mental math strategies is to turn hard problems into “friendlier” problems by making one of the addends a multiple of 10. For example, turn 23+38 into 21+40 by removing 2 from 23 and adding it to the 38. Kids start with smaller 2-digit addends, and when they’re ready they use 3-digit addends. Check out how we made this fun by using a bucket metaphor!
Adding and Subtracting using the Function Machine and T-charts. Play this lesson. You can also view the Function Machine tutorial. Our mad-scientist function machine and t-chart create a fun setting for lessons that get progressively more challenging. Students complete either the machine’s output or the rule. Students work on +/- 10, +/- values of 1-9, and more.
Addition Using the Open Number Line. Play this lesson. You can also view the open number line tutorial. The open number line is a powerful tool that helps students visualize making jumps forward and backward on a number line, and use a variety of strategies for both addition and subtraction. These strategies include “Making Jumps of 10” (e.g. 79+33 = 79+10+10+10+3) and “Using Landmark Numbers” (e.g. 79+33 = 79+1+20+10+2). These strategies helps kids learn flexible thinking and efficient, accurate problem solving.
3rd grade Adventure Park lessons teach new concepts and encourage fluency
Place Value. Play this lesson. Understanding place value is essential to developing number sense and strategies for computation. DreamBox uses the context of packing groups (pallets of 1000, cases of 100 and boxes of 10) to introduce the idea that in numerals, “place determines value”. Students experiment with packing and unpacking in a variety of situations.
Multiplication Array Pictures. Play this lesson. We teach the concept of multiplication using models such as repeated jumps on a number line, picture arrays, and area models. Array pictures arrange items in rows and columns, encouraging skip-counting and repeated addition using groups, instead of counting by ones. Try it and see how students are compelled to use a higher-level strategy.
Multiplication Area Models. Play this lesson. DreamBox uses area models to help develop multiplicative thinking. In a series of activities, a given rectangle is covered using smaller rectangles. As grid lines are removed students work with open arrays. As rectangles are moved, they are exploring the big ideas in multiplication: distributive, associative and commutative properties.
Find the Factors. Play this lesson. Students use our excellent Snap Blocks™ virtual manipulative to find factors for products up to 100 (50 on this sample lesson). Not only does this build understanding of the concept of multiplication, but it also gives students a foundation for understanding later concepts such as equivalent fractions and factoring polynomials.
Carnival puzzles provide more math in a themed story context
Maze. Play this lesson. 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!
Petting Zoo. Play this lesson. 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.
Frog Race. Play this lesson. 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.
Dunk Tank. Play this lesson. 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.
Placement Lessons quickly determine whether a student already knows a particular concept
Placement lessons are designed to rapidly determine if a student knows a particular concept or not. These lessons are not meant to teach or adapt. When students successfully complete a placement lesson, they skip over the lessons associated with that concept. When students need to learn or practice the concepts more, they are given the relevant lessons next in their sequence. Students are not aware that they are playing a placement lesson as they look like any other lesson!
Make 100 Placement Lesson. Play this lesson. In this placement lesson, students identify pairs of numbers that add up to 100. If students do not successfully complete this placement lesson, they will be given lessons like “Make 15”, “Make 20”, “Make 50”, and easier versions of “Make 100” before moving on in the curriculum.
Tutorials teach the use of a virtual manipulative
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. Mathrack Tenframe Snap Blocks™ Function Machine Open Number Line Place Value