Math-Drills.com Blog: April 2013

2013-04-26

Multiplication Worksheets Changes

There were some changes to the Multiplication page at Math-Drills.com in the last few days. Instead of one enormous page, it is now two smaller pages. The first page focuses on Multiplication Facts and the second page on Multi-Digit or Long Multiplication. This change plus a few other changes to both pages will allow for a much faster page load speed and easier navigation.

Along with the split, we also revised or added new multiplication worksheets including:

Multiplication Facts to 81 -- Almost all of the worksheets in this section were updated.
Horizontal Multiplication Facts -- About half of these were updated with our new style.
Two-Digit Multiplication -- All of these were revised and SI (Canadian) versions were added.
Three-Digit Multiplication -- All of these were revised and SI versions were added.
Large Print Multiplication Worksheets -- Many new large print multiplication worksheets were added to both multiplication pages.

We are continually evaluating our math worksheets and content pages, so the changes will keep coming. We hope you enjoy our newly revised multiplication pages and find what you need. Have a nice day!

2013-04-20

Earth Day Tips for Math Worksheets

Even though Math-Drills.com math worksheets look great printed on paper, some people might want to reduce the amount of paper they use. If you are concerned about the amount of paper you use, here are some tips to ease your conscience.

Teach Mental Math

Mental math means that students complete mathematical questions in their mind without the aid of pencil and paper. This is one of those skills that can seem impossible to some, but with some practice, mental math becomes easier all the time. The paper-saving trick here is that you don't need a copy of the page for each student; you don't even need a single copy if you can write the questions on a chalk board, a white board or display the worksheet on a screen. By the way, students who practice mental math strategies are usually quite successful in math class.

Share the Worksheet

Know other teachers who teach the same lessons? How about other home schooling parents? Instead of printing pages all the time, make a little booklet of common pages and share it around. Students can complete the necessary work on an erasable board, using math manipulatives, using technology or using a mental strategy.

In a classroom setting, rotating students through stations, using collaborative groups or pairs means fewer copies needed. Teachers can also display a worksheet with an overhead projector, or an interactive white board and use the same one from year to year.

Re-Purpose the Paper

Okay, we understand... you've printed 500 pages and used an entire package of paper. Now that the students have completed all of the worksheets, mastered each topic and gone on to bigger and better things, what do you do with all of the paper? Well, you could get out the hole punches, turn it all into confetti and sell it to wedding parties, but that's a little messy. You could shred it and use it as bedding for your hamster. Or you could use the other side of the paper for scrap which brings us to the next idea...

Don't Forget to Use Both Sides

Using both sides of the paper is standard practice, we hope. If you don't have two math worksheets to print, try printing some lines on the opposite side. Once you're finished with the math worksheet, you can use the lined side for notes, other school work, writing, etc. You could also print some graph paper on the opposite side of some of the paper and use it for other math activities or in the same way that lined paper is used. A hole punch and a binder will keep all of those loose papers organized nice and neat! Some people also cut up the pages with a blank side, staple them together and use them as scratch pads.

Paper Mache or Fish Wrap Anyone?

There are thousands of uses for used paper, bounded only by your imagination or a Google search. Some of our favorites include: paper mache, fish wrap, garden mulch, shredded paper fire logs, and origami.

Recycle the Leftovers

Do we really need to say it? Once you're done conserving paper to begin with and reusing what you can, stack the rest neatly into the recycling bin to be turned into something new. Remember, the more you reuse, the better, because there is a cost to recycling. Consider the energy (e.g. gas for the truck) it takes to gather all of the used paper, break it up into pulp, turn it into another product, then transport it again.

Have a great Earth Day! We hope your day isn't too bright (since you turned off the lights), you enjoy your crunchy locally sourced vegetables (since cooking them would take electricity), and you plant a few trees to make up for the worksheets you used in the past year.

2013-04-18

Classifying Quadrilaterals

Any two-dimensional shape with four straight edges is a quadrilateral. There are some special types of quadrilaterals with specific properties that help us to classify quadrilaterals into a variety of groups. The properties that are normally used to classify quadrilaterals include: side lengths, angle measurements, parallel sides, adjacent sides, and diagonals. Some quadrilaterals can be classified in several ways, but they are usually classified as the quadrilateral with the most strict definition. For example, a square meets the criteria to be a rectangle, a parallelogram, a rhombus, a kite, and a trapezoid, but we usually just call it a square. Usually calling a square anything else will tend to confuse students, so it might be best to avoid that discussion until they have a firm grasp on the properties of all quadrilaterals.

The Square

All four angles must be 90 degrees
All four sides must be equal in length
Opposite sides must be parallel
Diagonals must cross at a 90 degree angle

The Rectangle

All four angles must be 90 degrees
Opposite sides must be equal
Opposite sides must be parallel
Diagonals may cross at various angles

The Rhombus

Opposite angles must be equal
All four sides must be equal in length
Opposite sides must be parallel
Diagonals must cross at a 90 degree angle

The Parallelogram

Opposite angles must be equal
Opposite sides must be equal in length
Opposite sides must be parallel
Diagonals may cross at various angles

The Trapezoid

Opposite angles may be different
Opposite sides may be different in length
One pair of opposite sides must be parallel
If one pair of opposite sides is equal in length, it is an isosceles trapezoid.
If there is at least one right angle, it is a right-angled trapezoid.

The Kite

Opposite angles must be equal
There must be two pairs of equal adjacent sides
There is no requirement for parallel sides
Diagonals must cross at a 90 degree angle

Other Quadrilaterals

There are several other specific quadrilaterals including a dart (a concave quadrilateral), a bowtie (a complex quadrilateral), and several others that are a little beyond the scope of elementary mathematics.

There is no doubt that students who learn the quadrilaterals in this article and can identify them readily, will most likely experience success when it comes to more advanced concepts like finding the area of polygons, circle geometry and algebra. To practice identifying quadrilaterals, check out our Classifying Quadrilaterals worksheet at Math-Drills.com.

2013-04-09

Built-In vs. Add-On Math Worksheet Viewers

Viewing and printing the math worksheets at Math-Drills.com requires the use of a PDF viewer/reader. With the recent addition of a built-in PDF reader in Chrome and Firefox, we thought we'd pass on a little bit of information that you might find helpful.

First of all, the difference between a built-in and add-on PDF viewer is that the built-in version comes with the browser and the add-on version has to be added "on top of" the browser installation and is a separate program. For many years, the only way to see PDF files in a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) was to install an add-on PDF viewer, and generally, the add-on viewer was Adobe Reader. These days, there are at least three browsers (Firefox, Chrome, and Safari for Mac) that come with a built-in PDF viewer, and there might be more to come.

Below are some tips on using various methods to view PDF files including our math worksheets.

Adobe Reader Add-On

Adobe invented the format, so this is generally what people install on their computer... or used to. Adobe Reader is the free viewer/printer that includes a stand-alone program and add-ons for major browsers. If you can see PDF files in Internet Explorer, you most likely have Adobe Reader installed. We highly recommend Adobe Reader because of the page sizing and handling options available in the print window. Adobe Reader is well supported among major browsers and allow some configuration options when displaying PDF files in web pages.

Chrome (Version 26.0.1410.43 m)

Chrome was the first major browser to include a built-in PDF viewer. It works well with our math worksheets, but you have to know that the menu is a little different. In order to find the menu, you have to hover your mouse over the bottom right corner of the PDF object. Using this menu, you can print, save, or resize the PDF worksheet in the window. You can get the same menu option by right-clicking your mouse on the PDF page.

It isn't required that you use the built-in PDF viewer in Chrome; you can easily disable it and use the Adobe Reader add-on instead. Just search for "disable Chrome PDF viewer" and you will be on your way.

Firefox (Version 19.0.2)

Firefox very recently came out with a PDF viewer and it had a "rocky" start, but it seems to work quite well now. Firefox includes a visible menu at the top of the PDF file, which is much nicer than Chrome since you can (a) see it and (b) it is at the top! This built-in PDF viewer has all of the functionality of the Chrome version and more, including a search feature. It still lacks the print options available in Adobe Reader, but you can easily download the PDF file and open it automatically in Adobe Reader.

You can disable the Firefox built-in PDF viewer and use the Adobe Reader plug-in if you so choose.

Internet Explorer (Version 10)

Internet Explorer does not have a built-in PDF viewer, but since more than half of our users are on Internet Explorer, we thought we'd give it a section. Viewing math worksheets in Internet Explorer requires the use of an add-on. Adobe Reader is highly recommended, but other PDF reader add-ons may work as well. If you have difficulty seeing math worksheets in Internet Explorer, you may have to install Adobe Reader, re-install Adobe Reader (i.e. uninstall then install again), or use a different browser.

Safari

"Safari on the Mac comes with a built-in PDF engine, allowing you to quickly review PDF documents in Safari without having to install slow and cumbersome third-party plug-ins." (source: Apple.com). Now, we don't agree that Adobe Reader is slow and cumbersome, but for those of you on a Mac, you can use the built-in reader in Safari to view our math worksheets.

Other Browsers and Add-Ons

We don't recommend using anything other than the freely available browsers or add-ons mentioned above. Unless you need to edit PDF files or create them yourself, there is probably no need to purchase a PDF reader or install anything other than the ones above.

It is exciting that browsers are starting to come with built-in PDF viewers; hopefully, they will evolve into worthy alternatives to Adobe Reader mainly so people can avoid having to install another program on their computer. If you have any comments or questions about using PDF readers to view and print Math-Drills.com math worksheets, please let us know.

2013-04-01

Easter Egg Hunt Winners!