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Receive FREE SHIPPING on orders over $99 placed on the Didax website and shipped within the contiguous US. No promo code is required to receive this offer.
The order total for free shipping is calculated after any discounts are applied. Orders containing Eureka Math Kits DO NOT qualify for free shipping.
Free shipping valid ONLY on orders placed on the Didax website shipped within the contiguous US. Our regular shipping policies applies to other orders.
Need new ideas? Looking for quick tips for teaching tricky concepts or organizing your math centers? Class Ideas is your go-to spot for inspiration, information and innovation and it’s an ideal way to stay current with the latest trends in math teaching and learning.
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As the proverb claims, Slopeometer was born out of necessity. It happened when I was teaching calculus but has since proven incredibly useful in a variety of ways--from a middle-school setting on up. The inspiration came when I kept tracing along the graph of a function while I asked my AP calculus students at each point to “imagine the slope of the tangent line” as it gradually changed--from negative to zero to positive--representing the values of the “derivative” of the function. When, after some puzzled looks from my students, I said “imagine a plumb bob, always pointing to the correct value as it changes slope…” the lightbulb moment happened. Over the weekend, after a trip to a building supply store, I was able to cut a semicircle out of a piece of plexiglass and mark it with appropriate numbers and fractions, then loosely fasten a gravity-activated indicator arm that did the pointing... and presto!--the Slopeometer. My students found it much easier to picture the process, often called “curve-sketching,” and apply it to their own work. My students found it so helpful. Slopeometer has since proven useful in many areas: from “best fit” regression lines, to estimating tangent ratios, to slope-fields for differential equations--but the device has shown to be especially useful when first introducing slope.
Teachers have long relied on manipulatives to introduce new math and literacy concepts and enhance learning. Manipulatives are useful at all grade levels, from kindergarten (think Unifix Cubes) through high school (think algebra tiles), with students of all abilities, including and especially those with special needs and learning differences.
Jumbo Unifix® Cubes, sandpaper letters and numerals, and Omnifix cubes are just a few of the go-to resources used in many SpEd classrooms throughout the country.
Watching my children and students work with manipulatives, I can see how hands-on experiences with math concepts help build a solid foundation for future learning. Often, teachers and students struggle with the transition from concrete manipulatives to a representation of the concept. Web- or app-based “virtual” manipulatives help to make this transition easier, although many teachers struggle to find a place for these tools in the classroom. Hands-on manipulatives are an excellent tool on their own, and they are even more powerful when coupled with virtual manipulatives. To support the use of these virtual tools, Didax has developed more than a dozen free virtual resources, available on our website. If you need some help getting started, read on for some ideas!
As summer break draws to a close across the country, many teachers are using these last few weeks to get their classrooms organized and ready for the start of school. Perhaps you’re changing grades or schools, or just trying something new this year. You might even be sticking with a proven format for your classroom. Whatever your situation, getting ready for school to start is a lot of work!
As the school year draws to a close, many teachers a thinking about packing up their classroom. Whether you’re staying in the same room and want things ready for the fall or moving to another grade or another school, keeping things neat and organized will help get the next year off to a good start.
Every spring, millions of people turn their attention to what is, mathematically speaking, a tree diagram. Some think about it only when their favorite team is playing, while others are completely immersed in the annual College Basketball tradition known as “March Madness.” This frenzied tournament provides multiple opportunities to engage students in math, although we sometimes focus so narrowly on probability and statistics that students miss out on other opportunities to learn. In the spirit of the season, we’d like to share some ideas for teachers of all levels to bring March Mathness to the classroom. You can use the link below to access the activity sheets to use in your classroom. A printable tournament bracket is available here.
Watching my children and students work with manipulatives, I can see how hands-on experiences with math concepts help build a solid foundation for future learning. Often, teachers and students struggle with the transition from concrete manipulatives to a representation of the concept. Web- or app-based “virtual” manipulatives help to make this transition easier, although many teachers struggle to find a place for these tools in the classroom. Hands-on manipulatives are an excellent tool on their own, and they are even more powerful when coupled with virtual manipulatives. To support the use of these virtual tools, Didax has developed more than a dozen free virtual resources, available on our website. If you need some help getting started, read on for some ideas!
Mathematics educators have recently highlighted the need for “low floor, high ceiling” tasks that lead students into rich areas of inquiry. The “Four 4’s” problem is a fairly well-known example cited by Jo Boaler and others, but such challenges are hard to develop. It is often difficult to find an exercise, game, or a puzzle that is instantly accessible at a basic level, yet also leads to the exploration of higher-order thinking and deeper mathematical insights. The PEMDice game is designed to scratch this itch. Very simple in concept and, when played in its elementary form, it is ultimately as complex and as challenging as anyone cares to make it.
Every year around this time, my family is getting ready for back-to-school night. Now that I have children in high school, junior high, and elementary school, it’s always fun to see how this event is handled at the different levels. When I was teaching high school, we were very structured, with parents moving from class to class as though on a regular schedule; I think we had each group for ten minutes, just long enough to quickly review the syllabus and policies and send them off to the next class. Regardless of the structure of back-to-school night at your school, there are a few things you can do to make the evening more engaging for students and their parents. A good place to start is having some manipulatives you’ll be using during the year out for parents to handle. Things like Unifix Cubes, Pattern Blocks, Ten-Frame Floor Mats and Fraction Tiles are always good choices.
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