MathDoku This site offers the same kind of puzzle without using the trade name.The official Nextoy KenKen site offers one new puzzle each day at each size - 4×4 (a few minutes of work) through 9×9 (can require a half hour or more of hard thinking for two people). KenKen This kind of puzzle can be found under various names.If, in a 4×4 puzzle, the same shape space needed to be filled with a product of 32 rather than 16, there would be only one possible way to fill it.In an 8×8 puzzle, it might be filled in one more way.Either way, we know it must contain at least one 4. KenKen puzzles are particularly good at sharpening several elementary arithmetic skills, and logical skills as well. Why puzzles and playfulness in a mathematics class? See Tracing the Spark of Creative Problem-Solving, Benedict Carey, NY Times. Once 4×4 KenKen puzzles have lost their challenge, one can try 5×5 or 6×6, each with not just “more work” but requiring some new strategies and more arithmetic thinking. Puzzles also provide a perfect way to differentiate learning. In crossword puzzles, too, one might have to try several “across” and “down” clues before finding one that can be filled in with certainty, and that gives one more help for the other clues that were too hard at first. ![]() In Sudoku, for example, you have to look around and check several possibilities before you know what you can do. Even standard word problems require students to figure out where to start and what to do next, and there is no “formula” for how to do that.Ĭertain kinds of puzzles place that particular skill front and center. Tests, like the MCAS, typically give problems that require students to think beyond the rules. Genuine problems - in mathematics and in life outside of school - are not so cut and dried. Students tend to see mathematics as a collection of rules to follow. When one person is “stuck,” it helps to see that the other is, too. Working with someone else, as long as it feels collaborative and friendly, helps each student see new strategies, and also takes the pressure off. Two people will see different things, and find different things easy. For classroom use, it is often best to work in pairs. Introducing KenKen(R) Puzzlesįor detailed suggestions for introducing KenKen(R) puzzles for the first time, see Introducing KenKen puzzles. One of the on-line sites allows you to choose the level of difficulty of puzzles. The Boston Globe and The New York Times and other newspapers now commonly include these puzzles. Larger puzzles are not just “more work” but require some new strategies and new arithmetic thinking. When students are feeling really successful with these and want a bit more challenge, they can graduate to 5×5 or 6×6 puzzles. These puzzles give excellent arithmetic practice while building essential mathematical skills: logical deduction, looking around for vital information, shifting strategies (sometimes factoring, sometimes using process of elimination, sometimes…), and increasing problem-solving stamina. We hope you enjoy solving these Sudoku puzzles as much as we enjoyed creating them for you.KenKen(R) puzzles were not built into Think Math! but are a wonderful material to make regularly available to children. Use these as home, classroom or homeschool to play with family, friends or students. ![]() That’s it! Generate any number of puzzles for personal use. The solution is included with every puzzle. You will be able to download the generated PDF printable file. Check out the preview image, and then click on the green “Download” button. Once all these settings are done, click on the blue “Generate New Puzzle” button.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |