Story Math

Story Math is a cool website that I recently read about on iLearn Technology.  Story Math is a collection of three math-based activities that use storytelling as a means of presenting a problem.  The stories are interactive and put math concepts into authentic situations.  The three stories that are currently available are "Mystery on the Block", "The Perfect Arrangement", and "A Suitable Partner".   Each story focuses on a different math skill including geometry, permutations, and puzzles.  In addition to the interactive story, each activity also includes extension games and interesting information.  I went through the "Mystery on the Block" activity and found it to be very engaging and the interactivity was well placed.  I could definitely see this being used as a whole class activity.  To see what an activity looks like check out the image below...

Now What?

Story Math is a really cool site for introducing a new concept or reviewing what has already been taught.  At my school, we have a block called content literacy where math teachers focus on breaking down math problems and pulling out the important information.  These stories would be excellent to use for deciphering important information.  After completing one of these activities you could also have the students discuss the math connections that were made and how they can they be applied.  You could also discuss new vocabulary that was introduced.  Students could even create their own math story based on a concept learned in class!