Transmath: Developing Number Sense (2010)

Cannonball Clowns (Number Line Estimation)

Launch clowns from a circus cannon and try to hit the target. Drag digit cards on the control panel to set the launch distance and choose an appropriate unit of distance. After practicing your clown-launching skills on a number line, move on to the Big Top, Football Field, School Buses, the Golden Gate Bridge, and more! 5 Minute Preview

Number Line Frog Hop (Addition and Subtraction)

Live a frog's life as you hop along a number line in search of flies. Learn how addition and subtraction can be represented as movement along a number line. Fred the frog may even help you get better at adding and subtracting two-digit numbers in your head by decomposing them into tens and ones. 5 Minute Preview

Target Sum Card Game (Multi-digit Addition)

Play an addition card game! The goal is to create a sum that is as close as possible to the target sum. Students will deepen their understanding of place value as they get better at playing the game. Many game options allow students to vary the game for more practice. The game can be played with one or two players. 5 Minute Preview

Graphing Skills

Create a graph (bar graph, line graph, pie chart, or scatter plot) based on a given data set. Title the graph, label the axes, and choose a scale. Adjust the graph to fit the data, and then check your accuracy. The Gizmo can also be used to create a data table based on a given graph. 5 Minute Preview

Mascot Election (Pictographs and Bar Graphs)

A brand new school is opening and it is time to elect the school mascot! Students can choose the Eagle, Lion, Bear, or Wolf. Voting results can be displayed in a table, tally chart, pictograph, bar graph, circle graph, or dot plot. You can change student votes by selecting a group of students and clicking a mascot. 5 Minute Preview

Cargo Captain (Multi-digit Subtraction)

You are the captain of an interplanetary cargo ship, delivering important supplies to the outer planets. The cargo can be stored in barrels, crates, and holds. (There are 10 barrels in a crate, and 10 crates in a hold.) Model multi-digit subtraction by unloading cargo on each planet. 5 Minute Preview

Number Line Frog Hop (Addition and Subtraction)

Live a frog's life as you hop along a number line in search of flies. Learn how addition and subtraction can be represented as movement along a number line. Fred the frog may even help you get better at adding and subtracting two-digit numbers in your head by decomposing them into tens and ones. 5 Minute Preview

Graphing Skills

Create a graph (bar graph, line graph, pie chart, or scatter plot) based on a given data set. Title the graph, label the axes, and choose a scale. Adjust the graph to fit the data, and then check your accuracy. The Gizmo can also be used to create a data table based on a given graph. 5 Minute Preview

Chocomatic (Multiplication, Arrays, and Area)

Use the Chocomatic to design candy bars made out of chocolate squares. Use multiplication to find the number of squares in each chocolate bar. Build collections of chocolate bars that all have the same number of squares. Solve multiplication problems by joining two smaller chocolate bars into a large bar. 5 Minute Preview

Critter Count (Modeling Multiplication)

Use groups of critters on leaves to model multiplication as repeated addition. Change the expression to change the number of groups or the number of critters per group. Display the critters either on leaves or as a rectangular array. 5 Minute Preview

Measuring Trees

Measure the height, diameter, and circumference of trees in a forest. Count growth rings to determine the age of each tree. Grow the trees for several years and investigate how growth is affected by precipitation. 5 Minute Preview

No Alien Left Behind (Division with Remainders)

The alien school children from the planet Zigmo travel to distant planets on a field trip. The goal is to select a bus size so that all buses are full and no aliens are left behind. This is a nice illustration of division with remainders. 5 Minute Preview

Fido's Flower Bed (Perimeter and Area)

Construct models of gardens on a grid using squares of sod. Fence the gardens to find and compare perimeters. Work with pre-built gardens made of 36 squares each to compare perimeters of shapes with equal areas. 5 Minute Preview

Factor Trees (Factoring Numbers)

The Factor Trees Gizmo has two modes. In Factor mode, you can create factor trees to factor composite numbers into primes. In Build mode, you can build numbers by multiplying primes together. Can you build all composite numbers up to 50? Any whole composite number up to 999 can be factored or built with the Gizmo. 5 Minute Preview

Area of Parallelograms

Examine and manipulate a parallelogram and find its area. Explore the relationship between the area of a parallelogram and the area of a rectangle using an animation. 5 Minute Preview

Fido's Flower Bed (Perimeter and Area)

Construct models of gardens on a grid using squares of sod. Fence the gardens to find and compare perimeters. Work with pre-built gardens made of 36 squares each to compare perimeters of shapes with equal areas. 5 Minute Preview

Perimeter and Area of Rectangles

Discover how to find the perimeter and area of a rectangle, and of a square (which is really just a special case of a rectangle). 5 Minute Preview

Classifying Quadrilaterals

Apply constraints to a quadrilateral, and then reshape and resize it. Classify the figure by its constraints. Explore the differences between the different kinds of quadrilaterals. 5 Minute Preview

Parallelogram Conditions

Apply constraints to a dynamic quadrilateral. Then drag its vertices around. Determine which constraints guarantee that the quadrilateral is always a parallelogram. 5 Minute Preview

Special Parallelograms

Apply constraints to a parallelogram and experiment with the resulting figure. What type of shape can you be sure that you have under each condition? 5 Minute Preview

Pattern Flip (Patterns)

In the Pattern Flip carnival game, you are shown a pattern of cards. The first cards are face-up so you can see the pattern, and the rest are face-down. Can you guess which animals are on the face-down cards? Use one of the preset patterns, or make your own custom pattern. Good luck! 5 Minute Preview

Quilting Bee (Symmetry)

Participate in an old-fashioned quilting bee and create a colorful, symmetrical quilt. Quilts can be created with a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line of symmetry. Quilts can be folded to look for reflections, or rotated to test for rotational symmetry. 5 Minute Preview

Rock Art (Transformations)

Create your own rock art with ancient symbols. Each symbol can be translated, rotated, and reflected. After exploring each type of transformation, see if you can use them to match ancient rock paintings. 5 Minute Preview

Equivalent Fractions (Fraction Tiles)

Explore fractions using the Fractionator, the machine that makes fraction tiles. Compare fractions and find equivalent fractions by arranging the tiles on two horizontal rows. Explore simplifying fractions. Add fractions and express sums as improper fractions or mixed numbers. 5 Minute Preview

Fraction Artist 1 (Area Models of Fractions)

Develop understanding of fractions by making modern paintings. Find different ways to divide a canvas into equal-sized sections. Make paintings to represent simple fractions and to find fractions that are equivalent to one-half. 5 Minute Preview

Fraction Artist 2 (Area Models of Fractions)

Extend understanding of fractions by making modern paintings in the style of Piet Mondrian. Create and analyze paintings with different-sized sections. Compare the sizes of unit fractions. Find creative ways to color one-half of a painting. This can be a nice introduction to adding fractions with unlike denominators. 5 Minute Preview

Fraction Garden (Comparing Fractions)

Plant flowers in two gardens to help develop fraction sense. The two gardens act as number lines, from 0 to 1. Use the flowers in the gardens to compare fractions and to explore equivalent fractions. Chalk marks can be drawn to divide the garden into equal sections. 5 Minute Preview

Modeling Fractions (Area Models)

Model and compare fractions using area models. Set the denominators with the arrow buttons, and then set the numerators with the arrow buttons or by clicking in the models. Compare fractions visually, on a number line, or numerically using the least common denominator. 5 Minute Preview

Toy Factory (Set Models of Fractions)

Create a set of stuffed animals: monkeys, giraffes, and rabbits. Toys can be painted red, green, or blue. Describe the makeup of the set (animals or colors) with fractions. Arrange the toys into groups to simplify the fractions. 5 Minute Preview

Describing Data Using Statistics

Investigate the mean, median, mode, and range of a data set through its graph. Manipulate the data and watch how the mean, median, mode, and range change (or, in some cases, how they don't change). 5 Minute Preview

Mean, Median, and Mode

Build a data set and find the mean, median, and mode. Explore the mean, median, and mode illustrated as frogs on a seesaw, frogs on a scale, and as frogs stacked under a bar of variable height. 5 Minute Preview

Movie Reviewer (Mean and Median)

Movie reviewers rate movies on a scale of 0 to 10. Each movie comes with a set of reviews that can be changed by the user. The mean of a data set can be explored using a see-saw balance model. Students can also find the median, mode, and range of the data set. 5 Minute Preview

Reaction Time 1 (Graphs and Statistics)

Test your reaction time by catching a falling ruler or clicking a target. Create a data set of experiment results, and calculate the range, mode, median, and mean of your data. Data can be displayed on a list, table, bar graph or dot plot. The Reaction Time 1 Student Exploration focuses on range, mode, and median. 5 Minute Preview

Reaction Time 2 (Graphs and Statistics)

Test your reaction time by catching a falling ruler or clicking a target. Create a data set of experiment results, and calculate the range, mode, median, and mean of your data. Data can be displayed on a list, table, bar graph or dot plot. The Reaction Time 2 Student Exploration focuses on mean. 5 Minute Preview

Stem-and-Leaf Plots

Build a data set and compare the line plot of the data set to the stem-and-leaf plot. 5 Minute Preview

Adding Fractions (Fraction Tiles)

Add fractions with the help of the Fractionator, a fraction-tile-making machine in the Gizmo. Model sums by placing the tiles on side-by-side number lines. Explore the usefulness of common denominators in adding. Express sums as improper fractions or mixed numbers. 5 Minute Preview

Estimating Sums and Differences

Estimate the sum or difference of two fractions using area models. Compare estimates to exact sums and differences. 5 Minute Preview

Fractions Greater than One (Fraction Tiles)

Explore fractions greater than one with the Fractionator, a fraction-tile-making machine in the Gizmo. Create sums of fraction tiles on two number lines. Sums greater than one are shown as improper fractions on the top number line, and as mixed numbers on the bottom number line. 5 Minute Preview

Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Find the sum or difference of two fractions with unlike denominators using graphic models. Find the least common denominator graphically. 5 Minute Preview