The Ultimate Math Help Guide
You can’t escape using math every day. From measuring ingredients for a new dinner recipe to paying your bills, the science of numbers is there. While it is intricately woven into into our personal lives, math is also fundamentally linked to every business industry. The science of numbers, structure, quantity, change, and space is integrated in all fields of study from art to engineering. STEM related careers rely heavily on mathematics in order to effectively solve problems and complete complex tasks. For example, data scientists help companies make important decisions by being part mathematician, part computer scientist, and part social trend spotter. Each of these parts allows them to analyze complex data patterns using statistical models and algorithms in order to come to the best and often most profitable conclusions. But their job would be impossible without a strong background in functions, statistics, set theory, and probability theory. Mathematics is essential to a formidable foundation in any STEM based career from biology to industrial psychology because it provides a logical and quantitative approach to any scientific process.
We’ve compiled over 50 great resources to help students improve their math skills. These cover skills that will help students from the elementary level all the way through college level math.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATH RESOURCES
ProdigyGame Prodigy covers all major math topics from Grades 1 – 8 and provides a diagnostic test to make sure you start at the right place to be successful. You are able to work at your own pace, quickly see skills you have mastered, and where you might need additional support. Sheppard Software The math games cover all of the fundamentals from early math, basic and mixed operations, fractions, pre-algebra, money, and place value. The games are interactive so that you stay engaged and interested the entire time. IXL – Elementary Resources This site has unlimited questions that also use real-world scenarios to help build math skills. The skills are organized into easy to find categories and the questions automatically get harder as you improve. Funbrain Each game is labeled by grade level and you can browse the interactive games by grade level or type. The games help to reinforce fundamental concepts. Coolmath4Kids Not only full of interactive games, this site also contains lessons with step-by-step instructions that carefully explain concepts, quizzes over basic operations, and an entire section on brain teasers! MathBlaster Math Blaster uses a space and alien theme throughout the site as you use your logic and critical thinking skills to become an intergalactic hero. Registration is required, but the game itself is free. A teacher section is also available for using Math Blaster in the classroom. Muttiplication You can practice basic math operations through interactive games as well as additional resources for parents and teachers to help reinforce and teach skills. Hooda Math Games At the bottom of each interactive game, the common core standards are linked Some games call for higher order thinking and ask students to problem solve to complete the activities. ABCya! Free interactive educational math games allow children to solidify fundamentals from pre-K through grade 5. Choices include games liked to learning standards as well as strategy, holiday, and skill-based applets. Internet4classrooms- Elementary Resources Finding the perfect skill building game or online practice quiz is easy because you can search for a topic by grade level or by common core standard. Each topic links to an educational applet for students to practice and master each skill.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH RESOURCES
IXL – Grade 7 IXL organizes skills into categories based on math level or grade level. The site tracks your score so that questions naturally increase with understanding and provides step-by-step explanations for incorrect answers. Utah State University Online Library – Middle School The online library was created by Utah State University in order to help teachers provide students with more activities. The library contains manipulation tasks targeted to K-12 students. LearnZillion Each lesson complements classroom instruction by providing short videos based on the Common Core Standards for grades 3-9. Additional resources for educators include interventions, extensions, and task implementation guides. Adapted Mind Games provide over 500 problems that automatically adjust the difficulty level and provide a visual step-by-step video explanation when solved incorrectly. Students also get to create their own personal monster to move throughout the games. Math Goddies A math help website that contains free interactive lessons, worksheets, games and puzzles. There are hundreds of instructional resources for educators, students and parents and also a feature of the week for lessons, worksheets, games, and puzzles. Math Counts As the official website of the nation-wide middle school MATHCOUNTS competition, this site offers information about math history, careers, games, math competitions, and much more. Visit the “Students” link for great problems as well as a student forum. Explore Learning Gizmos Full of math and science simulations for grades 3-12, this site offers over 400 gizmos aligned to the latest standards to provide an inquiry-based approach to learning. They offer a gizmo of the week to challenge students and you can search by grade level, standard, or even through your textbook. Internet4classrooms – Middle School Finding the perfect skill building game or online practice quiz is easy because you can search for a topic by grade level or by common core standard. Each topic links to an educational applet for students to practice and master each skill. Math Pickle This free online resource of original mathematical puzzles, games and unsolved problems organized by grade and subject is supported by the American Institute of Mathematics. It contains visually compelling puzzles and games that engage students in tough problem solving. Math-Play Math Play offers online interactive games as well as games that can be played at home or in the classroom. Ranging from concentration to jeopardy, there is sure to be a game to help reinforce for your current math lesson. AAA-Know The site is complete with definitions of terms, properties, and multiple topics where content is concisely explained. After the explanation there is a set of timed questions to answer to check for comprehension.
HIGH SCHOOL MATH RESOURCES
IXL – Algebra These skills are organized into categories, and you can move your mouse over any skill name to preview the skill. To start practicing, just click on any link. IXL will track your score, and the questions will automatically increase in difficulty as you improve! Wolfram Math World With an extensive library of problems, examples, and definitions, this website is a great base for high school math resources. Many of the resources can also be downloaded to use offline. This site provides help with homework, solves specific math problems, and helps students find lots of mathematical topics. Thirteen Videos are focused on young professionals who explain how they use algebra in their lives. They then pose job-related challenges to two teams of students in the video and you are able to join in the challenge as a class as well. Math Complete with explanations, practice problems, specialized calculators, and games, this site can help with algebra through calculus in any way you need. The explanations allow for a basic overview or more in-depth knowledge along with problems worked out in order to process the various algorithms. Math is Fun – Algebra This website has a great overview of various algebra topics as well as a forum. Examples are worked out in a step-by-step manner for easy understanding and practice problems, worksheets, quizzes, and puzzles are provided. Math Aids There are close to 100 topics where you can build custom worksheets. You can also generate word games and problems in order to accommodate diverse learning styles. Paul’s Online Math Notes Having all the facts and formulas in one concise sheet right there in front of you can be a dream come true when doing homework. This site provides sheets for reference during any homework session and comes with class notes, tutorials, and practice problems to solve. PhET Simulations This website adds meaningful simulations to various math and science lessons for students to fully grasp concepts. There is an area to browse and search topics by subject or grade level and a video about how to integrate these simulations into the classroom. Desmos An amazing graphing tool! Not only does it graph functions, plot data, evaluate equations, and explore transformations, but it comes with video tutorials on how to use all its capabilities. Logic Puzzles Math humor, logic puzzles, and quotes are a fun part of this website. With lesson plans, puzzles, and games for high school level math, this site is great for a well rounded look into mathematics – including some math poetry! Computing Technology for Math Excellence CT4ME is devoted to the standards movement and integrating technology into teaching and learning and into K-12 mathematics and calculus. Find specific resources for the Common Core math standards, project-based learning, standardized testing, virtual manipulatives, technology integration, software, math apps and sites for basic skills, problem solving, homework assistance, games/simulations, multimedia development, web design, math initiatives, math methodology, professional development, research, and news, including the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Accessibility resources are included.
LINEAR ALGEBRA RESOURCES
Patrick JMT – Algebra This website contains a plethora of videos on multiple topics in linear algebra. Each video has several problems worked out that you are able to choose from and links for related topic on the bottom of screen. SciPy This site is a reference manual that details functions, modules, and objects included in NumPy. It concisely describes what they are and what they do. Khan Academy – Linear Algebra Start with the basics and work upward through more complex concepts with the help of these videos, examples, and practice problems. Math for College This comprehensive site provides videos, practice problems, PowerPoints, and quizzes. It is well organized by topic and easy to print pages that are provided in both pdf and word documents. WikiBooks Find free downloadable books and software by leading professors and colleges. Open source software is available from various links as well as links to Wikipedia pages for further descriptions on topics. Youtube – MIT courses Linear algebra course taught at MIT recorded through multiple videos with an emphasis on topics that will be useful in other disciplines. Each video also provides a link to the whole course. Elsevier An academic journal focused on articles that provide new information and insights on various linear algebra topics. Search articles and read up to date information.
CALCULUS RESOURCES
Maths Online This collection of interactive multimedia Java applets and graphical supplements help to facilitate learning various calculus concepts. Monroe Community College This is Paul Seeburger’s website which visually explores calculus. There is a collection of applets, including some 3D effects. University of South Hampton This site focuses on the origins and development of calculus. It is an interesting resource for learning more about how calculus was designed by previous mathematicians and their contributions to the field. Paul’s Online Math Notes – Calculus This is an interactive textbook for learning calculus. There are lots of examples, each followed by a complete solution, and various links that take you to different parts of the course as needed. Khan Academy – Differential Calculus Quick 15 minute video mini-lectures on calculus to help solidify understanding. This link is specifically to the differential calculus set of videos. Penn State University On this Penn State University website, java-based demonstrations will help you visualize math. By dragging a point or function, or changing specific parameters, these applets make important concepts in calculus come alive. Online Math Learning – Calculus Online Calculus games teach, build and strengthen calculus math skills and concepts while having fun. Games are categorized to help find the topic needed and are focused on improving calculus skills. IXL – Calculus These skills are organized into categories, and you can move your mouse over any skill name to preview the skill. To start practicing, just click on any link. IXL will track your score, and the questions will automatically increase in difficulty as you improve! Patrick JMT – Calculus This website contains a plethora of videos on multiple topics in calculus. Each video has several problems worked out that you are able to choose from and links for related topic on the bottom of screen.
PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS RESOURCES
CNX While this site initially has the feel of an online textbook, there are lots of graphs and links to further information and definitions. MIT MIT records actual courses and puts up the lecture videos and, in some cases, homework, class notes, and exams on this link to the math section of their Open Courseware site. There are several probability and statistics courses included. Teacher Tube Searching for a specific topic or category is easy as the results page contains study guides, specific lessons, and exam reviews. There is also a section for students and parents to link to TeacherTube. Utah State University – Statistics Resources The online library was created by Utah State University in order to help teachers provide students with more activities. The library contains manipulation tasks targeted to K-12 students. Shodor Four main components make up each interactive simulation: content, activity, help, and resource information. Each activity is interactive, but focuses more on the math theory or concept rather than a video game like structure. NCES – Kid’s Zone Full of interesting statistical information, this site offers the ability to make graphs, compare your own knowledge of statistics with other US students, roll and view the probability of dice, and even search for colleges. Patrick JMT – Probability and Statistics This website contains a plethora of videos on multiple topics in probability and statistics. Each video has several problems worked out that you are able to choose from and links for related topic on the bottom of screen. Khan Academy – Statistics and Probability Start with the basics and work upward through more complex concepts with the help of these videos, examples, and practice problems. Stattrek Stattrek allows learners to go at their own pace through free online tutorials all explained in layman’s terms. The website provides test preparation for the AP statistics exam as well.
