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Get Homework Help, Complements of the Web
Brett Walther
October 13, 2001
"Mom! I need help with my math!"
It's a call for assistance that leaves spines tingling with fearful shivers.
Ironically, help is as far away as the nearest computer, where the World Wide Web offers math teaching tools that may help with the assumption that public school math lessons are still fresh.
One of the best sources of online help is A+ Math at www.aplusmath.com.
A+ Math has also done a terrific job in taking the intimidation out of math by approaching the material in a fun, yet challenging way for children from Grades 1 through 8.
A+ Math offers a selection of flashcards of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, square roots and rounding.
It also provides the option of custom-creating flashcards-particularly useful if the math questions featured on the pre-designed cards are too difficult for your child.
But perhaps the most useful application is the link to the "Homework Helper," which allows you to input an equation before the child enters the answer.
After clicking on the "Correct?" option, or simply by pressing the "Enter" key, the Helper will let the child know whether the equation was answered correctly.
A number of well-designed games are offered on the main page, including "Matho," a fast-paced bingo/math combination.
Players are faced with a bingo score sheet with an answer to a math problem in each square. Throughout the game, problems appear at the bottom of the screen, and the player must select the answer from the squares on the bingo card above.
What makes the games even more exciting is the fact that A+ Math provides players with competition by listing daily winners along with the time in which they completed their round of "Matho".
Children who are experiencing difficulty with math in the classroom or need some extra-curricular tutoring could benefit greatly from A+ Math.
Parents can take a pro-active approach with their children's education by running through the exercises on the site as a supplement to the regular curriculum.
Brett Walther is the Community Access Program Coordinator for the Oxford County Library system.
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