SamizdatMath

This is a collection of 8 different "matrix addition" puzzles which use funky symbols as clues to figure out the answers. They were designed for 2nd graders, but you could use them with advanced first graders, or just throw them at some third and fourth graders to see how they react. They're sort of algebraic puzzles that you can have a lot of fun with and who doesn't like fun? What makes this really cool is that I also included a set of "blank" puzzles which your students can customize, share

"On a bad day, I have no ideas. On a good day, I have a lot of wrong ideas. At least with wrong ideas, I can mix them together and come up with a right answer." That's the idea behind this number puzzle, which I've intentionally designed to be really tricky and frustrating (at least, it was for the 3rd through 6th graders I tried it on.) The relationship between the three columns appear to be arbitrary, but there actually is some method to the madness: the students should be encouraged to come

This is a collection of 10 different algebra puzzles that use 3 different variables which are represented as rectangles, triangles and hexagons. Yes, we know that "adult" algebra uses X, Y and Z, but since this is designed to be appealing for our younger students (and because abstraction is still tough for them) I've used these geometric shapes instead. I've also limited the kinds of numbers students use by focusing on using 0 - 9 digit cards. This is so your students will not get frustrated wh

Should you be teaching algebra to young students? YES! When should you be doing it? NOW! Why should you teach algebra to young students? Because it will challenge them while reinforcing their basic computation skills. Compared to those boring "practice sheets" you're using, algebraic problem solving presents a greater challenge and is also more motivational, because your students know they're doing something hard, not just repeating an exercise over and over and over and over again....

Nadia Geddit wanted to get into her building, but she forgot the code to the lock. However, she did remember some clues about the code. These are 5 clues about the code: 1) The sum of the fifth digit and the third digit is 14. 2) The fourth digit is one more than the second digit. 3) The first digit is one less than twice the second digit. 4) The sum of the second and third digit is 10. 5) The sum of all five digits is 30. What 5 digits must Nadia press to make the lock open? How wo

This is the most carefully and completely documented use of the "The Handshake Problem" (also known as the "Glass Clink Problem") that you can find. It spans 5 days worth of lessons, homework assignments, enrichment and an assessment. The beauty of the "handshake problem" is that it can be looked at as a way to represent a problem visually through the use of points and connecting edges, but it can be investigated as a sequence of triangular numbers. This is then be compared to other types of seq

This is a collection of 10 candy corn puzzles that you can print in color, cut out and put onto plates. The student takes the indicated number of pieces of candy corn and distributes them on each character so that the the sum of two adjacent characters comes out to the arrow connecting them. For example, if there is an arrow pointing between mummy and witch, and it says "4," then you can either place 4 on the mummy and 0 on the witch, 1 on the mummy and 3 on the witch, 2 on the mummy and 2 on t

You've got the links, here are 75 different pattern puzzles for you to print out in full color, complete with answers. Set them up as math centers by putting the solutions on the back of the problem, use them as "problem of the day" or send them home with a bag of links for parents to solve with their kids. This set has 3 different types of pattern problems: • Problems where the student "continues" the pattern shown on the card; that is, the pattern shows the first 5 - 8 links that establishes