Teaching math can feel like a struggle at times, and as a classroom teacher, I was always looking for ways to keep students motivated. If you are looking to increase student engagement this year and make math the best part of the school day, there is a new platform you’ll want to explore. It helps make math exciting for students while maintaining rigor through hands-on math projects.
10storymath is a new platform that makes it easy for teachers to enrich their math curriculum with hands-on math projects. This tool can help supplement your elementary math curriculum and turn math learning into a memorable experience for students. Kids access an extended role-playing adventure where they have to use math to solve problems and advance the action of a fun story.
Hands-on Math Projects
10storymath utilizes technology to help students use digital devices to view project videos and save pictures of their work. But if you’re looking to balance offline and online experiences, 10storymath has you covered, too. With this program, students move around their classroom, handle concrete objects and engage in face-to-face small-group problem-solving.
The 10storymath platform is a virtual teaching assistant that guides students through hands-on activities. Teachers can circulate throughout the room, asking probing questions and supporting students as they problem-solve.
As I mentioned above, 10storymath is new to the EdTech scene. Educators, authors, and learning scientists came together to build a series of engaging activities that supports your traditional math curriculum. 10storymath is grounded in real math and addresses the standards you already cover.
A Closer Look at 10storymath
What does 10storymath look like in action? Students watch live-action and animated videos to take a deep dive into different stories. Each one presents a virtual world where the projects will unfold.
For example, in the geometry project called Space Academy, fifth-graders become cadets in an outer-space training academy. They have a critical mission: finding and rescuing P.I.P.E.R., a robot explorer dog who’s gone missing on a distant planet. Students solve problems as they work towards this goal.
10storymath covers a range of math topics. For example, in the fractions project Mega Mini Challenge, students go on a behind-the-scenes tour of a game design company. If students are successful at playing fraction games, they’ll then have a chance to play the secret new prototype Game X.
Experiential Math Instruction
With 10storymath, students go beyond games in a virtual world to dive deep into problem-solving activities. As the story develops over ten lessons, students must use math skills to work through problems and challenges. Each of the different projects requires students to use standards-aligned math skills.
For example, in Space Academy, students locate P.I.P.E.R. by solving a complex puzzle on a grid map. This problem requires knowledge of the coordinate plane. In Mega Mini Challenge, students play games that require the use of fraction operations.
To ensure that all students can succeed as they work through the projects, 10storymath provides engaging mini-lessons. Each mini-lesson is in the form of instructional videos and discussion videos. These supplemental activities teach standards directly and produce a rich whole-class discussion. Each math concept also includes a print-and-play game so that students can build fluency with their new skills.
Math Projects for Students
10storymath finds a balance between the time students are on and off devices. Their devices guide them through each project. However, students mainly work with their peers to use their hands and bodies to experience math concepts.
For example, Space Academy cadets build a small motorized vehicle for the rescue mission. By collecting, plotting, and graphing data about their vehicle, cadets can conduct a successful rescue of P.I.P.E.R. This is a fun, hands-on task that gets students moving around as they explore new math concepts or review concepts.
In the Mega Mini Challenge, participants play oversize floor games. This gives them concrete experience with fraction concepts. Other 10storymath projects use wooden blocks, LEGOs, and diverse concrete materials that help students learn.
Easy Setup & Low Prep
When I was first introduced to 10storymath late last year, I was impressed with how easy it is to get started. One of the highlights of 10storymath is that any teacher can do it with their class. Teachers don’t need special training or professional development, and 10storymath provides most materials.
If you’re new to leading this type of activity, there are many resources to help you get started. Each step of a project includes a short, easy-to-follow video that tells teachers everything they need to know to lead the activity. In addition, 10storymath makes it easy for every teacher to bring the excitement and rigor of project-based learning to their students.
Getting Started with 10storymath
A great way to get started with 10storymath is to try out their games! These are free to download, print and play, so you can jump in right away. You’ll get a sense of the fun, visual teaching style of 10storymath’s concept videos. And you can explore the rich, whole-class math talk that emerges during the discussion videos.
The team at 10storymath also has special programs where qualifying schools and districts can try out its story projects for free. So, if you’re ready to try 10storymath in your school or district, check out their free print-and-play math games and activities (available now for 5th & 6th grade) or fill out this form to talk with the 10storymath team. As a former fifth-grade teacher, I’m excited for you to check out this engaging math resource!
