 Math
resources
Math can be a challenging subject to teach—and for
students to learn. At eThemes, we have collected a large database
of math resources for students and teachers. These resources
include math topics from basic addition and subtraction to
estimation, geometry, probability and statistics. Resources
include educational Web sites for students to help them learn
and reinforce new math concepts and skills. There are also
teacher resources such as lesson plans and activities related
to teaching math concepts. When you go to the eThemes Web
site (www.emints.org/ethemes), you can click on the link “eThemes
listed alphabetically.” Then click on “M”
for math and scroll down through all the existing resources.
You can also go to the “Search eThemes” link and
find specific resources for your grade level.
eThemes Resources provide a list of Web sites on specific
themes and correlated to the Missouri Standards. These eThemes
topics are combinations of several different Web sites that
provide teachers useful information such as background details,
lesson plans, graphics, media, activities, quizzes, etc. Because
there are more than 1,000 eThemes topics in our database (and
growing), you can search several topics that will fit your
own teaching and students’ learning. Below are links
to eThemes Resources that can help teachers put together units
with several learning activities and information specifically
related to math. 
Bar, line and picture graphs
www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000791.shtml
These sites include examples of different types of graphs
such as bar, line and pictographs. Many of the sites are interactive
and demonstrate how graphing works. The sites also include
several hands-on activities. There are links to eThemes Resources
on circle graphs and statistics to graph.
How much is one million?
www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001120.shtml
These sites help students visualize what large numbers, such
as one million, look like. There are online representations
of a million, plus hands-on activities. Find out your age
in millions of seconds. And find lesson plans about books
by David Schwartz. In addition, you’ll find a link to
an eThemes Resource on place value.
Mental math
www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001294.shtml
Here are tips for calculating math problems in your head.
Learn how to quickly multiply, add, subtract and divide complex
numbers. You’ll also find tricks on how to square large
numbers without writing them down.
Problem solving strategies
www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001427.shtml
Learn how to approach, understand and solve mathematical
problems. Explore these links and find strategies, techniques
and methods for problem solving. These Web sites contain a
number of problem-solving strategies, word problems, worksheets
and activities designed for seventh- and eighth-grade students.
Find a link to the eThemes Resource on cooperative problem-solving
tasks.
Are you looking for new ideas for your classroom?
Just go to Newest eThemes (www.emints.org/ethemes/newthemes.shtml)
and see what has been added each week. There is even an eThemes
Calendar (www.emints.org/ethemes/calendar.shtml) that provides
student-centered activities at the click of a mouse. If you
scroll down the page, there are previous calendars listed
with more activities. If you prefer to browse or search the
eThemes database, click on the Resource Index link to browse
eThemes alphabetically or by grade level. Or try a Resource
Search to find all available resources matching specific search
criteria (grade level and/or key words) entered by the user.
Any educator can access eThemes resources at www.emints.org/ethemes.
Official eMINTS teachers (www.emints.org/about/policies/teacher.shtml)
and library media specialists in their schools may request
new eThemes topics using a convenient online form. Next, eThemes
Resource scouts, who are University of Missouri-Columbia graduate
students trained in navigating the Internet, search for child-safe,
age-appropriate Web sites about the topic. Scouts write a
short description about sites matching the requested criteria.
The eThemes coordinator double checks the sites and assigns
related educational standards to the new resource. The new
eThemes resource is then entered into the online database
for all users to access. Currently, there are more than 1,000
eThemes on topics ranging from Africa to Yellowstone National
Park. The links within eThemes Resources have been checked
for their grade and age appropriateness. Because links on
the Web change frequently, teachers are advised to review
all links before introducing them to students.
By Laura Diggs, Ph.D.
University of Missouri-Columbia College of Education
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