Harcourt Math

Cannonball Clowns (Number Line Estimation)

Launch clowns from a circus cannon and try to hit the target. Drag digit cards on the control panel to set the launch distance and choose an appropriate unit of distance. After practicing your clown-launching skills on a number line, move on to the Big Top, Football Field, School Buses, the Golden Gate Bridge, and more!5 Minute Preview

Cannonball Clowns (Number Line Estimation)

Launch clowns from a circus cannon and try to hit the target. Drag digit cards on the control panel to set the launch distance and choose an appropriate unit of distance. After practicing your clown-launching skills on a number line, move on to the Big Top, Football Field, School Buses, the Golden Gate Bridge, and more!5 Minute Preview

Rounding Whole Numbers (Number Line)

Place points on a number line. Round these values to the nearest ten or hundred. Visualize rounding by showing the number line as a hill or series of hills. These hills cause the points to roll to the nearest valley (nearest multiple of ten or one hundred).5 Minute Preview

Target Sum Card Game (Multi-digit Addition)

Play an addition card game! The goal is to create a sum that is as close as possible to the target sum. Students will deepen their understanding of place value as they get better at playing the game. Many game options allow students to vary the game for more practice. The game can be played with one or two players.5 Minute Preview

Cargo Captain (Multi-digit Subtraction)

You are the captain of an interplanetary cargo ship, delivering important supplies to the outer planets. The cargo can be stored in barrels, crates, and holds. (There are 10 barrels in a crate, and 10 crates in a hold.) Model multi-digit subtraction by unloading cargo on each planet.5 Minute Preview

Elapsed Time

Calculate the difference between the times given by two analog clocks. Rotate the hands of the clocks to change the time and see how the calculation changes.5 Minute Preview

Time Estimation

Try to estimate the passage of time by selecting a time interval, clicking the Start button, and clicking Stop when you think the interval has passed. The estimate and percent error are recorded. Compare different techniques for estimating time, as well as the average error for long time intervals versus shorter intervals.5 Minute Preview

Chocomatic (Multiplication, Arrays, and Area)

Use the Chocomatic to design candy bars made out of chocolate squares. Use multiplication to find the number of squares in each chocolate bar. Build collections of chocolate bars that all have the same number of squares. Solve multiplication problems by joining two smaller chocolate bars into a large bar.5 Minute Preview

Critter Count (Modeling Multiplication)

使用组multipli叶子的动物模型cation as repeated addition. Change the expression to change the number of groups or the number of critters per group. Display the critters either on leaves or as a rectangular array.5 Minute Preview

No Alien Left Behind (Division with Remainders)

The alien school children from the planet Zigmo travel to distant planets on a field trip. The goal is to select a bus size so that all buses are full and no aliens are left behind. This is a nice illustration of division with remainders.5 Minute Preview

Elevator Operator (Line Graphs)

Operate an elevator in an old apartment building. Pick up and drop off residents where they want to go. A line graph shows where the elevator traveled over time. Operate the elevator either by using the standard up and down controls, or by building a graph to program where you want it to go.5 Minute Preview

Movie Reviewer (Mean and Median)

Movie reviewers rate movies on a scale of 0 to 10. Each movie comes with a set of reviews that can be changed by the user. The mean of a data set can be explored using a see-saw balance model. Students can also find the median, mode, and range of the data set.5 Minute Preview

Reaction Time 2 (Graphs and Statistics)

Test your reaction time by catching a falling ruler or clicking a target. Create a data set of experiment results, and calculate the range, mode, median, and mean of your data. Data can be displayed on a list, table, bar graph or dot plot. The Reaction Time 2 Student Exploration focuses on mean.5 Minute Preview

Graphing Skills

Create a graph (bar graph, line graph, pie chart, or scatter plot) based on a given data set. Title the graph, label the axes, and choose a scale. Adjust the graph to fit the data, and then check your accuracy. The Gizmo can also be used to create a data table based on a given graph.5 Minute Preview

Mascot Election (Pictographs and Bar Graphs)

A brand new school is opening and it is time to elect the school mascot! Students can choose the Eagle, Lion, Bear, or Wolf. Voting results can be displayed in a table, tally chart, pictograph, bar graph, circle graph, or dot plot. You can change student votes by selecting a group of students and clicking a mascot.5 Minute Preview

Spin the Big Wheel! (Probability)

Step right up! Spin the big wheel! Each spin can result in no prize, a small prize, or a big prize. The wheel can be spun by 1, 10, or 100 players. Results are recorded on a frequency table or a circle graph. You can also design your own wheel and a sign that describes the probabilities for your wheel.5 Minute Preview

No Alien Left Behind (Division with Remainders)

The alien school children from the planet Zigmo travel to distant planets on a field trip. The goal is to select a bus size so that all buses are full and no aliens are left behind. This is a nice illustration of division with remainders.5 Minute Preview

Quilting Bee (Symmetry)

Participate in an old-fashioned quilting bee and create a colorful, symmetrical quilt. Quilts can be created with a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line of symmetry. Quilts can be folded to look for reflections, or rotated to test for rotational symmetry.5 Minute Preview

Rock Art (Transformations)

Create your own rock art with ancient symbols. Each symbol can be translated, rotated, and reflected. After exploring each type of transformation, see if you can use them to match ancient rock paintings.5 Minute Preview

Balancing Blocks (Volume)

This Gizmo provides you with two challenges. First, use blocks to build a figure with a given volume. Then, try to balance the blocks on a platform that sits on the tip of a cone. The dimensions of the platform can be adjusted, and blocks can be added or deleted by clicking on the model.5 Minute Preview

Fido's Flower Bed (Perimeter and Area)

Construct models of gardens on a grid using squares of sod. Fence the gardens to find and compare perimeters. Work with pre-built gardens made of 36 squares each to compare perimeters of shapes with equal areas.5 Minute Preview

Equivalent Fractions (Fraction Tiles)

Explore fractions using the Fractionator, the machine that makes fraction tiles. Compare fractions and find equivalent fractions by arranging the tiles on two horizontal rows. Explore simplifying fractions. Add fractions and express sums as improper fractions or mixed numbers.5 Minute Preview

Fraction Artist 1 (Area Models of Fractions)

Develop understanding of fractions by making modern paintings. Find different ways to divide a canvas into equal-sized sections. Make paintings to represent simple fractions and to find fractions that are equivalent to one-half.5 Minute Preview

Fraction Garden (Comparing Fractions)

Plant flowers in two gardens to help develop fraction sense. The two gardens act as number lines, from 0 to 1. Use the flowers in the gardens to compare fractions and to explore equivalent fractions. Chalk marks can be drawn to divide the garden into equal sections.5 Minute Preview

Fractions Greater than One (Fraction Tiles)

探索分数大于1 with the Fractionator, a fraction-tile-making machine in the Gizmo. Create sums of fraction tiles on two number lines. Sums greater than one are shown as improper fractions on the top number line, and as mixed numbers on the bottom number line.5 Minute Preview

Modeling Fractions (Area Models)

Model and compare fractions using area models. Set the denominators with the arrow buttons, and then set the numerators with the arrow buttons or by clicking in the models. Compare fractions visually, on a number line, or numerically using the least common denominator.5 Minute Preview

Toy Factory (Set Models of Fractions)

Create a set of stuffed animals: monkeys, giraffes, and rabbits. Toys can be painted red, green, or blue. Describe the makeup of the set (animals or colors) with fractions. Arrange the toys into groups to simplify the fractions.5 Minute Preview

Adding Fractions (Fraction Tiles)

Add fractions with the help of the Fractionator, a fraction-tile-making machine in the Gizmo. Model sums by placing the tiles on side-by-side number lines. Explore the usefulness of common denominators in adding. Express sums as improper fractions or mixed numbers.5 Minute Preview

Fraction Artist 2 (Area Models of Fractions)

Extend understanding of fractions by making modern paintings in the style of Piet Mondrian. Create and analyze paintings with different-sized sections. Compare the sizes of unit fractions. Find creative ways to color one-half of a painting. This can be a nice introduction to adding fractions with unlike denominators.5 Minute Preview

Fraction, Decimal, Percent (Area and Grid Models)

Model and compare fractions, decimals, and percents using area models. Each area model can have 10 or 100 sections and can be set to display a fraction, decimal, or percent. Click inside the area models to shade them. Compare the numbers visually or on a number line.5 Minute Preview