Math News
Unity Elementary School
Brighton, MA
October 1, 2017
Teachers Note
Dear Parents,
We are working on a unit on
rational numbers. We are using
Destination Mathematics and
The National Library of Virtual
Manipulatives. I encourage
students to extend their learning
to their homes, because they will
benefit from more exposure to
these resources interactive
tutorials and problems.
Technology is so important to
engaging students in mathematics
and meeting the needs of all
learners. I hope you and your
child enjoy checking these
resources out! Please contact me if
you have any questions!
Miss Chiara Abaquin
Update: Technology Resources
Destination Mathematics
Destination Mathematics is an electronic program
that develops elementary students mathematical
skills and knowledge. It provides course modules in
which the students can access lessons in different
units and do interactive activities. With work out
activities, students can apply the concepts they
learned to real-life problems. Doing problem-solving
in these meaningful contexts help with students
memory of mathematical concepts and strategies. It
develops their critical thinking by giving them
opportunities to try various problem-solving
methods. Students can also prepare intensively for
practice problems by engaging with the lessons
step-by-step explanations.
The students are currently learning about rational
numbers and they will use the module on percents.
Its tutorial for expressing percents as proper
fractions reinforces vocabulary words they have
learned in class, such as fraction, percent, and
decimal. It can improve their skills with expressing
fractions by having students solve new types of
problems. The students will analyze the percentages
and fractions in basketball players profiles.
1
Math News October 1, 2017

They will be taught to express percent into proper fractions by dropping the percentages
and placing the values over 100. Then, they will express the fractions in their lowest
terms, giving students manipulatives to match the fractions and percentages. The
students have defined a rational number as a form a/b where a and b are integers, and b
is not zero, but they are still learning other expressions of rational numbers. It will be
useful for them to see rational numbers as percentages by describing them as a way of
expressing fractions.

Destination Mathematics is useful because shows students if they have met the lesson
objectives by giving feedback about correct and incorrect answers. It also guides the
students problem-solving by incorporating comprehension questions into the activities. It
is not only educational, but entertaining! There are energetic animations, audio, and
characters leading the tutorial. The colorful, interesting visuals make the concepts less
abstract and easier to work with. Finally, Destination Mathematics can be modified to
meet students individual needs and it encourages collaborative learning by having
students do the tutorials together.

Link: http://www.hmhinnovation.com/DM.php
Math News
The National Library of Virtual
Manipulatives is a great
resource for students to learn
different ways to use specific
manipulatives. For example,
they have activities for Base
Blocks Addition and Base
Blocks Decimals. Using this
technology at home makes
them more confident in
problem-solving with
manipulatives in class. Its
engaging activities help
students think of more effective
ways to use manipulatives for a
particular problem. It also has
a parent/teacher section that
explains how to support
student learning for the grade
level. It plans for high quality,
shared problem-solving by
describing the uses and each
manipulative and suggesting
appropriate activities.
October 1, 2017
The National Library of
Virtual Manipulatives
Percentages Applet
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a website that
promotes students active involvement in their mathematics
instruction. It provides virtual manipulatives for the topics of
Number and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement and
Data Analysis and Probability. It has virtual manipulatives are
appropriate for different grade levels (Pre-K to Grade 12.) The
websites simple design makes it easy to navigate and it shows fun
ways to visualize mathematical concepts.
The students will use the Percentages Applet, which is in the
Numbers and Operations section for 3rd to 5th grade. The
Percentages Applet is great for learning about rational numbers.
Rational numbers involve fractions, decimals, ratios and
proportions. This applet lets students discover relationships
between fractions, percents, and decimals. The students determine
two of the three quantities (Part, Whole, or Percent) and the
computer shows how to calculate for the remaining quantity. The
computer makes a statement about the relationship between the
part, whole, and percent, which is reflected by the fraction in the
calculations and the percent shown in the Percent Gauge and Pie
Chart. The students can even experiment by choosing decimals for
the quantities to see how the relationship between these quantities
changes.
This applet is useful because the instruction section encourages
students to tackle problems like 17 is what percent of 85? and
What is the sale price of a $75 dress if there is a 30% reduction?
Showing examples of different computations can deepen
understanding of the relationships between fractions, percents, and
decimals. It also has the advantage of having multiple visual
representations of the relationships between the quantities. Some
students struggle with interpreting certain visuals, like the pie
chart, and may benefit from looking at other types of visuals.
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a great resource
for students to learn different ways to use specific manipulatives.
For example, they have activities for Base Blocks Addition and
Base Blocks Decimals. Using this technology at home makes them
more confident in problem-solving with manipulatives in class. Its
engaging activities help students think of more effective ways to
use manipulatives for a particular problem. It also has a
parent/teacher section that explains how to support student
learning for the grade level. It plans for high quality, shared
problem-solving by describing the uses and advantages of each
manipulative and suggesting appropriate activities.
Link: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html