Math News
Sunshine Elementary School
DEAR PARENTS!
This upcoming week, our 3rd-grade class
will begin a new math unit on rational
numbers. This unit will develop students'
understanding of specific concepts, like
fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions.
To aid our learning, we will introduce
students to two different online math
programs; “Splashlearn” and “Math
Playground”. These technology-based
programs will provide proper support and
practice for students throughout the unit.
Each website contains tutorials, practice
exercises, helpful explanations, and fun
mathematic-centered games, which will aid
student knowledge learning. While both
are accessible through websites, I
recommend downloading “Splashlearn”
onto a phone or tablet at home, as
students will be accessing this program
through tablets at school. If you have any
questions concerning these additional
supports, feel free to contact me!
Thanks,
gahr@bc.edu Ms. Gahr
Brighton, MA - February 2024
Volume 1, Issue 1
SPLASHLEARN
“SplashLearn” is a elementary level
educational applet, that develops
students skills in Mathematics and ELA.
This goal is accomplished by creating
specialized plans for each user, based
on engagement time and subjects of
interest. Students are able to select a
specific subject of interest, like math,
and then identify a focus area. The
image below represents the home page,
which students will see once they
download this applet!
For the purpose of our math
class this week, students will
be focusing on fraction
practice, which is the category
students will select!
 Math News
Thank you parents for being so open to the further introduction
of technology and mathematical applets into the classroom
environment! I know my students are going to love this!
SPLASHLEARN
Once students select the fraction section, they will see a
screen that looks like the image below and explains
various focus areas of learning fractions! Since we are
going to begin
with an intro-
directory lesson
students will
be working on
the first
section titled,
“Understand and Represent Fractions.” This first exercise
aims to pave the way for the character by properly
dividing and splitting fractions into equal groups. As
students attempt this process, the applet narrates the
individual choices and explains why the distribution is
correct. As students properly execute this division, rocks
are placed to create a clear path for the character to walk
across, as depicted below.
SplashLearn is an excellent way for students to practice
developing math skills because it supports students’
individual progress rates while implementing a user-
friendly, engaging game style. Its usage of personal
learning plans allows for the highest amount of student
engagement and encourages a sense of motivation for
achievement. Overall, I look forward to implementing this
applet into our math classes and continuing to make
learning fun and engaging for my students!
MATH PLAYGROUND
“Math Playground” is an online website where
elementary-age students can identify their grade
level and play various games associated with
different content areas! For the purpose of our
class, my students will select third-grade age and
go to the section labeled “Number and Operations
with Fractions,” as shown below. Next,
students will select the category
“Unit Fraction Intro,” which leads
to a game where students must
lead an animal along a map. The
student can only unlock the next
on the map by successfully dividing
a whole into equal parts, which
represent the number of items
in the image, as shown in the
right. Students are required to
demonstrate their knowledge of
fractions through completing
problems similar to these in
order to advance on the map.
Overall, Math Playground is an
incredibly easy server to
understand and operate, and
provides students with great
practice opportunities. It supports student’s
individual learning speeds, and allows for many
attempts, encouraging trial and error for deeper
learning. While “SplahLearn” creates individualized
programs, which is great for further home use,
Math Playground’s variety of easily accessible
activities are a great tool after fraction lessons to
drill in more practice and encourage
understanding in students. I look forward to
implementing this tool in the upcoming weeks!