Math Enrichment
Resources for Intermediate Students
Advanced math students need depth, application and higher-level problem solving to be challenged in math. The resources below are hopefully some that make it easy to find more in-depth problems for advanced math students.
Finding Challenging Problems
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Math Rules
- a “closed beginning” meaning that they all start with the same initial problem.
- a “closed end” meaning that they all end with the same answer.
Search by grade and/or standard.
The Robert Kaplinsky website offers math problems utilizing problem-based lessons with real world application and depth. Many include video introductions. All organized by grade level. He also provides a Spreadsheet by Standards for available math problems and a
Problem Solving Framework. His Depth of Knowledge blog post has some useful examples of DOK frameworks for elementary and middle school math.
RIT Scores to Khan Academy
These charts can be helpful when needing additional instructional resources for specific skills. It is organized by math topics on MAP and then by RIT levels. Links directly to Khan Academy lessons.
Mathwire.com has lots of resources for math enrichment. Here are links to open-ended problems organized by grade and standard.
TED-Ed Math in Real Life Series
Calling all math detectives! Mysteries are popping up all over town, and our chief sleuth needs your help to crack each case.
Math Maven's Mysteries (printable)
Math Mysteries (online mysteries for students 7-9 years old)
These puzzles are fun activities for children and cover several math topics for each grade (Grades 1-7). Each puzzle link connects to a printable PDF sheet which also has an answer sheet attached.
Lower Primary (stage 1) = Grades 1-2
Upper Primary (Stage 2) = Grades 3-5
Secondary (Stages 3-4)=Grades 6-10
Thinking About Math
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NY Times
Creative Math Prompts - Getting Students to Think About Math
The Math 5280 website has a wealth of creative math prompts aligned to content areas of CC Standards. Check out the "Which One Doesn't Belong?" prompts.
Students can use this "What Do You Notice? What Do You Wonder?" page to record their mathematical thinking and reasoning.
The 101 Questions website has videos and pictures searchable by grade and content area that can be used for mathematical thinking prompts and "What's the Math Question?"
Students Can Write their own Math Story Problems
Read about Math
Wonderopolis - Explore the wonders of math with Wonderopolis. Students can explore real world math questions and challenges. Use these students can use these Wonderopolis pages to record their research. This can be added to Google Classrooms so students can link directly to articles or used without Google Classroom.
Plus Math Magazine is an online popular mathematics magazine run under the Millennium Mathematics Project at the University of Cambridge
On the About Today's Date website students can find odd and interesting facts about the numerals making up today’s date.
Visual Math
VisualPatterns.org has put together a delightful resource for noting and generalizing patterns called visual paterns.
Cube Conversations is a set of 80 (eighty!) animated lessons designed to promote visually rich math discourse.
Estimation Challenges
Help your students improve both their number sense and problem-solving skills through these estimation challenges. Here's a handout you could use with students.
Esti-Mysteries! Each image invites students to wonder what number is represented by the image. As you click through each Esti-Mystery, clues will appear that allow students to use math concepts to narrow the set of possibilities to a small set of numbers.
Mental Math is Important
Use this Mental Math Tips sheet to practice mental math.
Let your advanced student investigate this Mental Math Video series.
Subitizing! when a person looks at a small set of objects and instantly detects the total without counting. It’s a powerful process and a truly remarkable one. Can your students explain the mental math needed to subitize!
Math by Example
MathByExample consists of 4th and 5th grade math problems that students are asked to analyze and explain in order to help them dislodge stubborn misconceptions.
AlgebraByExample is a set of Algebra 1 assignments that incorporate worked examples and prompts students to analyze and explain.
Wild Math
Figure This!
PBS Education Resources
Tile Area Questions
Math Games
Muggins Game - Print, add some dice and it's ready to go as a math center for addition, subtraction, multiplication and/or division.
21 Fun Math Games has easy to print math games.
Investigating Dominoes has lots of ideas for students to learn number sense in a fun way.
24 Game
Introduction to 24 Cards - Intermediate
Logical Thinking/Brain Teasers
Brainbashers - Lots of challenging brainteasers at various levels.
Links to Logic - printable learning center of logic grid problems
Brillant.org - It's free. Build quantitative skills in math, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.
Math Challenge.net- A website dedicated to the puzzling world of mathematics
A+ Click Math and Logic Problems- organized by grade, topic, and interest
Brain Teasers-Animated logic problems, word problems, and puzzles for elementary students
AIMS Puzzle Corner has a selection of math and science puzzles to stimulate thinking
Math Riddles
My number has nine digits. It is evenly divisible by 100. The value of one of the digits is 700,000. The digit in the millions place is both even and prime. The digit in the hundreds place is the temperature at which water freezes. The digit in the ten millions place is triple the number in the millions place. The digit in the thousands place is the number of fluid ounces in a cup. The digit in the hundred millions place is a special number because it is a factor of every number.
Math Tricks
Any math student would love to learn a few of these fun tricks.
Depth and Complexity in Math
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Overview of the Depth and Complexity Icons - Math
How do the dimensions of depth and complexity fit into mathematics?
Envision Gifted! Differentiating for Gifted Learners as a nice page on ways to integrate the depth and complexity framework into math instruction. Facilitate a more sophisticated understanding of a concept, integrate content areas and help students develop a deeper understanding of mathematics. A good place to start is with the Language of the Discipline - see below.
Depth Tool- Language of the Discipline
The lips represent specialized language and symbols related to a topic or concept. To truly understand a concept in mathematics, one must speak the “language of math”.
A student being asked to add and subtract would need to understand not only terms such as “sum” and “difference”, but also be able to understand mathematical sentences which often include symbols: 27 + (16 - 5) =
Start by introducing students to the language of the discipline. What is a decimal number? Lead them to the understanding by discussing the origin of the word.
Participate in a District Enrichment Opportunity
Start a School Math Team
Consider having your math students participate in the district math competitions! Math Showcase is an opportunity for elementary and middle school students to showcase their math skills. Four students from each school can be selected to participate in the Math Showcase - an exciting day of math challenges. K-6 and K-8 schools may send two teams - one elementary (grades 4/5) and one middle (grades 6-8). Click on this MATH SHOWCASE INFORMATION link if you would like more information.
Guidelines and Resource Packet - Elementary (subject to change)
Event Dates - Both to be held at the Columbus Metropolitan Main Library
Elementary Math Showcase - February 12, 2019
Middle School Math Showcase - February 14, 2019