Sumdog--Math Games

Recently my older son showed me a neat Math website that uses games to help students work on their basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals and more.  The site is called Sumdog, and while it doesn't teach math skills, it provides a motivating and fun way for students to practice their basic math skills.  There are 18 different games to play.  Once the student selects a game they get to play against 1 to 3 other players.  Each player is getting questions at a difficulty level that is suitable for them.  Sometimes my 7 year old, 9 year old and myself will go online and play against each other and it is a lot of fun!

I have a teacher account with SumDog and can set ConnectEd students up with their own account.  Please contact me if you would like an account and I'll send you your information.  You can sign up for an account on your own, but if you go through me that will allow me to set up some challenges for you that will help you to work on specific skills.  Also, if you go through me, you do not have to enter an e-mail address.

It is important to note that playing on Sumdog does NOT count as doing your Math course!  Do not be coming to me saying that you haven't done any of your math assignments or quizzes, but that you have a bazillion points on Sumdog and so deserve credit for the course ;-)

Progress Updates

photo credit: ttrentham licensed CC BY-NC-SA

Semester 1 is over which means that we are half way through the school year.  It is a good time to take stock of where students are in their courses.  Over the past week I have been e-mailing progress updates to students and their parents/guardians.  If you have not received a progress update please contact me.  In addition, I am happy to discuss a student's progress at any time in the school year, not just when I send out these updates.

Feb 9th, National Sweater Day

photo credit: hello! by Suedehead cc

On February 9th the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is asking Canadians to turn down the heat and wear a sweater to show that you are taking action on climate change.  From the WWF's National Sweater Day website:

By rethinking how we use energy and how much we use, we can make a big impact on climate change.  If every Canadian lowered the heat a few degrees this winter, it'd be like taking 300,000 vehicles off the road!  So wear that sweater and make the world a better place for your Grandchildren.

Not sure that you'll remember to wear a sweater on National Sweater Day?  No problem, just go to the website and book a granny to give you a call!

If you are interested in finding out more about climate change the David Suzuki Foundation provides a straightforward fact page here.  If you are in Grade 10 Science, section 3.3 in the online course is all about climate change.