AnnMaria De Mars

We'll canoe another 2/5 tomorrow - example from like denominators (common denominator) lesson — To add fractions there are three simple steps: Step 1: Make sure the bottom numbers (the denominators) are the same. Step 2: Add the top numbers (the numerators), put that answer over the denominator. Step 3: Simplify the fraction (if needed) We believe that children learn from multiple examples in multiple situations. I’m sure you, oh […]

Math Lesson – Adding like fractions (with a common denominator)

19 Jan, 2020 in Educational Resources / Fifth Grade / fractions / Sixth Grade tagged Common denominator / equivalent fractions / like denominators by AnnMaria De Mars

One thing I gained from judo was the importance of persistence. There are no doubt a lot of people who have better technique than me. They had better instructors who came from famous clubs, maybe even the Kodokan. I started at the Alton YMCA. There are probably lots of people […]

How judo taught me to avoid Startup Burnout

17 Jan, 2020 in AnnMaria / Bilingual Education / Start-up Diaries / Women in Tech tagged startup / startup advice by AnnMaria De Mars

12 flowers together and 3 groups of 4 flowers, illustrating 3 x 4 = 12 — You’ll never convince me that multiplication tables are unnecessary If it hasn’t happened after over 30 years of teaching math, it’s probably not going to happen. Yes, we all have calculators on our phones. Before that we had calculators on our watches (anyone remember that?). You know what is faster […]

Learning multiplication tables with Spirit Lake

13 Jan, 2020 in Educational Games / Math / Mathematics / multiplication tagged Spirit Lake:The Game by AnnMaria De Mars

child asleep on the back of a chair — It's hard to get excited about multiplication when you're just coming back from a break. We have a free Windows game that will help you do just that.

Multiplication with Spirit Lake

6 Jan, 2020 in multiplication / Third Grade by AnnMaria De Mars

Maria Burns Ortiz — Our CEO, Maria Burns Ortiz, never stops! She'll be on a fireside chat at the ED Games Expo January 9 in DC, doing game demos and then heading for a school site visit.

Meet our Traveling CEO in DC : ED Games Expo

5 Jan, 2020 in 7GenGames / Start-up Diaries tagged business travelers by AnnMaria De Mars

Sunset on the Standing Rock reservation — I get stressed that I have not accomplished enough in a week. Then I look at what has happened this decade. Weeks add up. People are awesome.

Word of the Decade: Gratitude

31 Dec, 2019 in AnnMaria / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars

One of the hardest things to do in creating a math game is to come up with problems that relate at all to student interests. Textbook publishers try, and so do we. You see a lot of math problems that include baseball statistics or buying CDs. Of course, then no […]

I want math problems for Christmas

11 Dec, 2019 in AnnMaria / Educational Games tagged Christmas / Holidays by AnnMaria De Mars

African-American teen for Forgotten Trail game — African-American mathematicians can be great role models and inspiring stories. Teach those stories in history class. Don't shortchange students on learning math

African-American Kids Need MORE than Role Models in Math

10 Dec, 2019 in Cultural content / Educational Games / Math by AnnMaria De Mars

Our consultants on Dakota culture and American history combed Library of Congress archives for these photos of Dakota and Ojibwe life.

When you want more than pictures of happy Indians and ...

27 Nov, 2019 in AnnMaria tagged Native American heritage month / Thanksgiving by AnnMaria De Mars

Spirit Lake has multiplication word problems — In nearly 30 years teaching and consulting on American Indian reservations, I’ve seen a dismaying number of failures to provide a good education. In the movie, Mask, the mother of a boy with a noticeable physical disfigurement is trying to register him for middle school. The principal says, Perhaps a […]

Failing Native American students: Let me count the ways

27 Nov, 2019 in AnnMaria / Cultural content / Education: Innovation and STEM / Educational Resources tagged Native American heritage month by AnnMaria De Mars

horse in a field — I have mixed feelings about this time of year. On the one hand, I love my family and I have SO much to be thankful for. On the other hand, I’ve spent most of my career working on American Indian reservations so my feelings about the whole “let’s celebrate the […]

Native American Culture for Thanksgiving

25 Nov, 2019 in AnnMaria / Cultural content tagged Native American heritage month by AnnMaria De Mars

Dr. Carol Davis — When I was a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside, all three of my daughters attended the university preschool program. The Director of Native American programs had an office near mine, and each year, I’d stick my head in and say, “Hey, Alfreda, you spoke at the preschool […]

Three for Thursday: Native Americans TODAY

21 Nov, 2019 in AnnMaria / Cultural content / podcast tagged Native American heritage month by AnnMaria De Mars