Computer Lab Activities
Early America: A Math Hunt Activity
Hold on to your tentacles — we're going back in time. From Columbus to the founding of America, we'll track down facts about our forefathers to solve historic math problems.
- Grades: 3–5, 6–8
In Early America (grades 5–8),students must answer five multiple-choice, math-related questions about America’s history, from the days of Columbus to Betsy Ross and beyond. To help figure out the answers, students must do a little online research first.
Sample question:
How many years passed before the number of stars (states) doubled?
- 61 years
- 39 years
- 141 years
In addition to challenging students’ reading comprehension skills, “Early America" tests these “math hunting” skills:
- Addition and Subtraction
- Decimals and Percentages
- Fractions: Multiplication with Fractions
- Ratio and Proportion
- Symmetry
Learning Objectives
By participating in Math Hunt, students will:
- Practice problem-solving skills from the grade 5–8 math curriculum
- Explore topics from the grades 5–8 science and social studies curriculum
- Learn basic Internet research skills
- Develop an understanding of the construction of standardized test questions and multiple-choice answers
Related Resources
Students set out on fact-finding missions that test math skills, provide practice researching on the Web, and boost reading comprehension.
- Subjects:Native American History, Addition and Subtraction, Pilgrims, Content Area Reading, Reading Comprehension, Research Skills, Fractions and Decimals, Geometry, Logic and Problem Solving, Multiplication and Division, Number Sense, Ratio, Proportion, Scale, Real-World Math, Word Problems, Civics and Government, Flags, Monuments, Symbols, United States, Historic Documents, Historic Figures, Communication and the Internet, Computers, Teaching with Technology
