Sources for Math Problems and Activities

Sources for Problem Solving and Rich Math Activities

We've collected some of our favorite sources for educators who are looking for more rich math activities that are aligned with the Common Core.

Inside Mathematics (K-12)
A professional resource for educators passionate about improving students' mathematics learning and performance. This site features classroom examples of innovative teaching methods and insights into student learning, tools for mathematics instruction that teachers can use immediately, and video tours of the ideas and materials on the site.

The Problem Solving section of the nzmaths website has lessons organised by level and curriculum strand.

Find engaging media and integrated activities, all aligned with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. Designed for middle school students of diverse learning styles and backgrounds. Produced by a collaborative of public media stations and producers with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

NRICH (K-12)
The NRICH Project, from the University of Cambridge, aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is a team of qualified teachers who are also practitioners in RICH mathematical thinking. This unique blend means that NRICH is ideally placed to offer advice and support to both learners and teachers of mathematics.

Steve Wyborney's Blog (I'm on a learning mission) contains a wealth of resources for the K-8 classroom. Most are in the form of presentations or other interactive resources. Topics range from number to geometry, and include visual thinking, estimation, and connections between domains.

The YouCubed webs it's goal is to inspire, educate and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms.

All students can learn mathematics to high levels and teaching that is based upon this principle dramatically increases students’ mathematics achievement. The need to make research widely available is particularly pressing now as new science on the brain and learning is giving important insights into mathematics learning.

By providing research based teaching methods, math tasks, videos, and ideas they intend to significantly reduce math failure and inequality in the United States and beyond, inspiring teachers and empowering all students to success.

K-5 Math Teaching Resources provides an extensive collection of free resources, math games, and hands-on math activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Our math printables are suitable for use in math centers, small group or whole class settings. Instructions for each activity are presented in large print on a task card in child-friendly language to enable students to work on tasks independently after a brief introduction to the task. All files are in PDF format.

SERP has a number of projects that provide support for Math Teachers. Among them:

Algebra by Example: AlgebraByExample gives students practice solving problems and practice modeling, analyzing, critiquing and articulating mathematical arguments. Each assignment contains several pairs of problems...

Diagnostic Teaching (Poster Problems): Diagnostic Teaching is an approach that aims to: bring the thinking of students out into the open so teachers can use it to promote math discourse; allow for a range of solution approaches - all valid, but some using more basic math that can seamlessly lead to using more advanced math; and give teachers lots of information as students complete tasks so they see and hear how students are advancing.

The 5X8 Card: The “5 x 8 Card” is the a tool for school principals that targets the intersection of the principal’s experience and the educational purpose of developing the students’ expertise in mathematical practices defined in the CCSS Mathematical Practice Standards.

Some of our favorite math bloggers who include lessons and problems on their blogs

Blogs

Other sites with interesting and varied Math Problems and Puzzles to challenge your students:

If you have a favorite site to add to this list, please let us know!

A number of free interactive math (and science) simulations are available here through the PhET Interactive Simulations project.

The sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

Illustrative Mathematics (K-12)
Illustrative Mathematics is a discerning community of educators dedicated to the coherent learning of mathematics. We collaborate at illustrativemathematics.org, sharing carefully vetted resources for teachers and teacher leaders to give our children an understanding of mathematics and skill in using it. We provide expert guidance to states and districts working to improve mathematics education.
The goal of Illustrative Mathematics is:

to illustrate standards with impeccably crafted tasks, videos, lesson plans, and curriculum modules
to be the premier source of freely available online mathematics content for teachers, teacher leaders, assessment developers, curriculum writers, and teacher educators.
to be a discerning professional community that creates content and deploys expertise in multiple ways.
to engage individuals and small groups, with rare and needed expertise, who are currently isolated in pockets across the country.
to provide a space for teachers to share across classrooms and help each other grow in teaching our children mathematics.

Wild maths, from the University of Cambridge, provides games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore mathematics. Some have starting points, some a big question and others offer a free space to investigate.

The site is premised on Mathematics as a creative subject and the activities involve spotting patterns, making connections, finding new ways of looking at things, using what you already know in new contexts, playing around with examples, drawing pictures, and having the courage to experiment and ask good questions.

The Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative is a comprehensive effort to improve mathematics instruction and student learning. The Initiative is based on high performance expectations, ongoing professional development, examining student work, and improved math instruction. The Initiative includes a formative and summative performance assessment system, pedagogical content coaching, and leadership training and networks.
SFUSD is a member district and SFUSD educators have access to the following:
MARS, Primary Performance Assessment, Problems of the Month, Materials - Professional Development Meetings, SCVMP Leadership Institute 2013, SCVMP Leadership Institute 2012, Charter Oaks Workshop 2013, Cristo Rey Resources, Coaching Tools, Videos

Contact us for information on accessing these resources!

Illuminations
Illuminations is a project designed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) which includes lessons and interactives searchable by the Common Core State Standards: over 600 lesson plans and over 100 activities; including virtual manipulatives, applets, and games.

The Mathematics Assessment Project (7-12)
The project is working to design and develop well-engineered assessment tools to support US schools in implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).
The project creates tools for formative and summative assessment that make knowledge and reasoning visible, and help teachers to guide students in how to improve, and monitor their progress.