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Lure of the Labyrinth is today's innovative catch Lure of the Labyrinth is a game for middle school pre-algebra students designed to improve math and literacy skills. It includes intriguing math-based puzzles embedded in a narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet and save the world from monsters. Linked to mathematics standards, the game gives students a chance to think like mathematicians. Lure of the Labyrinth Home Page In Lure of the Labyrinth, students progress through three sections, or wings each related to a different math strand that is part of a the typical pre-algebra curriculum: * Proportions (including fractions and ratios) * Variables and Equations * Number and Operations (including geometry, order of operations and modular arithmetic) Each of the three wings includes three puzzles, and each of the puzzles has three levels progressing from easy to hard. Students have to successfully solve each puzzle three times before they can advance through the game. Lure of the Labyrinth Library Page A professional development video specifically designed for pre-algebra teachers takes them step-by-step through the things they need to do to make this engaging game the focal point of great classroom learning experiences. Planning resources include links to standards, directions for working with specific puzzles, lesson plans, explanations of the background math, and graphic organizers. Video - Lure of the Labyrinth Lure of the Labyrinth was created by Maryland Public Television and MIT Education Arcade in cooperation with FableVision.

For prealgebra students.

"A great set of algebra puzzles, including visual, word and draggable puzzles."

A great set of maths puzzles to try out in your class. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

These puzzles are simple enough for anyone to try, but need some thinking to see how they work. They are based on logical thought rather than knowledge or memory or skill or arithmetic. They are also counter-intuitive (another way of saying that they're tricky!) Even if you can't work them out for yourself, once you know the trick, you can fool other people.

Easy to Make and Fun Puzzle for students!

Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development, Inc. (SEED) offers creative math puzzles, with solutions. Puzzle categories include: * Number Sense * Arithmetic * Probability * Algebraic Thinking * Geometry, Spatial Reasoning, and Visualization * Topology * Logic * Combinatorics * Miscellaneous

"126 page free downloadable PDF book for grade 4-7 teachers showing how KenKen puzzles can turn mathematical problem solving into fun and how student motivation can be dramatically increased. About"

Abstract: "In traditional mathematics education, students have typically been asked to solve lots of tedious and uninteresting exercises for developing the arithmetic skills of addition and subtraction. The paper provides an account of learning arithmetic skills in a more interesting way through the collaborative playing of a puzzle game. 83 students in three classes in Grade 4 were asked to solve arithmetic problems with three different methods: via playing an adapted "cross number puzzle" game on Group Scribbles (GS) collaboratively, via playing the same game on GS individually, and via the traditional method of teaching and learning, i.e. with no games at all. Analysis of the pre and post learning achievement data reveals that the two classes who played the game performed better than the control class, with the collaborative class students achieving better than the individual class students. By playing the game, low-ability students, in particular, made the most significant progress in arithmetic capability and in building up their confidence in doing arithmetic calculations."

A fun maths puzzle. complete the triangle by placing a block with the difference of the two numbers below. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

Mathematics game from Maryland Public Television designed for middle-school pre-algebra students. The protagonist, a kid who's just had his beloved pet abducted by Bigfoot and taken to a subterranean food mill, has to solve a series of math-based puzzles to get him back. The puzzles focus on proportions, ratios, fractions, and variables.

"I began my personal journey into the world of Cubing when I was attending Regis University in Denver, Colorado in 2009. My senior thesis project involved devising a cryptosystem using the Rubik's Cube to encode and decode messages. Although my involvement with the Rubik's Cube waned post-graduation, it was rekindled shortly after I became a secondary teacher of mathematics in 2014. I had several Rubik's Cubes in my possession from my college days and these decorated the shelves in my classroom. I recall these puzzles catching the eyes of many curious pupils. After months of traditional curriculum presentation, I determined that my students were in need of a novel lesson, one that would ignite a passion for problem-solving. This lesson would involve the colourful and alluring hexahedron puzzle on my desk: the Rubik's Cube."

Published November 2012. "The first part of the book introduces games, puzzles and mathematical recreations, including knight tours on a chessboard. The second part explains how thinking about playing games can mirror the thinking of a mathematician, using scientific investigation, tactics and strategy, and sharp observation. Finally the author considers game-like features found in a wide range of human behaviours, illuminating the role of mathematics and helping to explain why it exists at all. "

"Among mathematicians, it is always a happy moment when a long-standing problem is suddenly solved. The year 2012 started with such a moment, when an Irish mathematician named Gary McGuire announced a solution to the minimal-clue problem for Sudoku puzzles." Article written by author of a recent book, "Taking Sudoku Seriously: The Math Behind the World's Most Popular Pencil Puzzle".

"Monkey Tales Games is a series of 3D video games to support the learning of maths, created in 2011 by die Keure Educatief and Larian Studios from Belgium. The series is made up of five exciting and fun video games with age-specific themes where the player has to solve 3D puzzles." ...

relationship between "puzzle-solving and mathematical skills"

Great ideas for bellringers, or just a fun way to kill personal time!

Function puzzles for the IWB

"The social repository of the world's greatest brain teasers, logical puzzles and mental challenges. Join us to add, rate, and comment on puzzles! "

Describes the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus of Ancient Egypt, containing some 85 mathematical puzzles, some of which have (relatively) modern descendants

Glad they interviewed our Milo!