Wacky Word Problems: Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun (Magical Math) [Paperback]

Lynette Long (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2004 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Magical Math (Book 10)

Don't Just Learn Word Problems... Master Them!

Brimming with fun and educational games and activities, the Magical Math series provides everything you need to know to become a master of mathematics! In each of these books, Lynette Long uses her won unique style to help you truly understand mathematical concepts with common objects such as playing cards, dice, coins, and every mathematician's basic tools: paper and pencil.

Inside Wacky Word Problems, you'll discover how to decode many different types of word problems-from counting, logic, and percentage problems to distance, algebra, geometry, and graphing problems-in order to solve real-world dilemmas. While you play exciting games like Measurement Jeopardy and Percentage War, you'll learn how to identify word cues, develop reasoning skill,s and spot key formulas that will help you solve any problem with ease. You'll also boost your math skills as you enter into crazy contests with your friends, create mystery word problems, and play word-problem charades-and have a great time doing it!

So why wait? Jump right in and find out how easy it is to become a word-problem master!

Also available in this series: Dazzling Division, Delightful Decimals and Perfect Percents, Fabulous Fractions, Groovy Geometry, Marvelous Multiplication, and Measurement Mania, all from Wiley.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This volume includes specific directions and activities to construct pictographs, bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs, and to compile statistics. Materials needed, step-by-step directions, and at least one illustration accompany each activity. The black-and-white drawings and graphs are appealing and easy to read. While these activities are solid, the focus here is on play, not on thinking about when to use certain types of graphs or what the gathered information indicates. Similarly, the computation of statistics is encouraged but there is little analysis of the results. This title can be a resource for teachers and parents of homeschoolers, but it needs a math-savvy facilitator to round out the learning.–Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. The superlatives in the title are hype, but students and teachers will find that this large-format paperback still offers quite a good introduction to graphs. The step-by-step presentation builds understanding from the ground up, beginning with pictographs and bar graphs and moving on to pie charts, line graphs, map charts, and statistics. For each activity, Long lists the materials needed, explains the steps taken, and includes at least one illustration. Many activities end with a "Brain Stretcher" challenging children to extend the game or activity in some way and occasionally encouraging critical or imaginative thinking. The black-and-white drawings of children are appealing, and the many graphs are clearly illustrated. A good choice for encouraging students to grapple with mathematical relationships, patterns of numbers, probability, and the visual representation of mathematical and statistical data. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471210617
• ISBN-13: 978-0471210610
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lynette Long has an M.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in psychology. She has taught math and was a professor of education, specializing in mathematics education. She is the author of several children's math books, including Dazzling Division and Marvelous Multiplication, both published by Wiley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Teaching Business Math, March 5, 2007

By 

wonderactivist "wonderactivist" (Great Plains) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Graphs and Sensational Statistics: Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun (Magical Math) (Paperback)

Great Graphs and Sensational Statistics really made our 6th Grade Business Math unit very fun and interesting. While charting commercials, dangling spoons, taking surveys, flipping coins and following the stock market...we learned all about how to present information in a form that others can understand.

This is very REAL math that my child can use throughout his life - whether he's a weatherman, scientist, or business administrator! We all need to learn how to present information clearly and effectively.

Oh, and some statistical work is in there - means, medians, conducting a study and charting statistical results...highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and engaging way to grasp the basics of standard word problems, September 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wacky Word Problems: Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun (Magical Math) (Paperback)

Part of the outstanding "Magical Math" series from John Wiley & Sons, Wacky Word Problems: Games And Activities That Make Math Easy And Fun by Lynette Long is specifically designed and presented to appeal to children ages 8 to 12 and provide them with a fun and engaging way to grasp the basics of standard word problems. Kids will learn how to answer computation problems, percentile problems, distance problems, and so much more through dozens of age-appropriate activities and entertaining examples. Wacky Word Problems is especially recommended as a homeschool curriculum supplement, and would be an appropriate acquisition for traditional grade school math curriculums and library reference collections as well.