ZCrazy Math
I wrote this application when my kids came home in 1st grade, and had to practice Rocket Math. Rocket math is something used in Arizona schools to drive home basic math facts in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders. The concept is simple, practice a set of numbers for a while, and then move onto the next set once you have mastered these.
The game itself is actually 5 games checking the 4 basic operators, +-*/, and a final game checking all operators together. Each "game" has 10 levels, starting with 123, and ending with all numbers 0-9. At it's most basic level, the game checks addition of the numbers 123 (1+1, 1+2 etc).
The object of the game is to answer 25 questions as quickly as possible. When that point is reached, the text on the numbers for that level will turn "Green" indicating that the level has been completed.
Notes on my Experience
Oddly enough the first level is the hardest. The kids are struggling to orient themselves with the game, the numbers are difficult to find and so on. Making a big deal of the first two or 3 successes is critical to whether they want to continue to play. I would be careful about introducing the concept that there are "Gold", "Silver" and "Bronze" levels too early (more later), they will figure it out for themselves sooner or later.
One thing that works for us is a small treat whenever a number goes from Black to Blue, this is a great motivator.
Make a HUGE deal when the "+" column on the records page is all is under 60 seconds. I let my kids decide where we are going for dinner that evening (at this point we have been out to dinner twice :-).
The most important thing is that they play the game, the more the better.
The game itself is actually 5 games checking the 4 basic operators, +-*/, and a final game checking all operators together. Each "game" has 10 levels, starting with 123, and ending with all numbers 0-9. At it's most basic level, the game checks addition of the numbers 123 (1+1, 1+2 etc).
The object of the game is to answer 25 questions as quickly as possible. When that point is reached, the text on the numbers for that level will turn "Green" indicating that the level has been completed.
Notes on my Experience
Oddly enough the first level is the hardest. The kids are struggling to orient themselves with the game, the numbers are difficult to find and so on. Making a big deal of the first two or 3 successes is critical to whether they want to continue to play. I would be careful about introducing the concept that there are "Gold", "Silver" and "Bronze" levels too early (more later), they will figure it out for themselves sooner or later.
One thing that works for us is a small treat whenever a number goes from Black to Blue, this is a great motivator.
Make a HUGE deal when the "+" column on the records page is all is under 60 seconds. I let my kids decide where we are going for dinner that evening (at this point we have been out to dinner twice :-).
The most important thing is that they play the game, the more the better.
How To Play
Below you see the opening page. This page is used to select, add or remove players.
- To add a player, simply click "Add Player"
- To remove a player, select the player and hit "Remove Player"
- To show the high scores of a given player, go ahead and hit "Show High Scores"
- To play a game, select a player and hit "Play"
Selecting a Game
After a user has hit "Play", the "Choose Game" screen appears. On this screen the user gets to choose the type of game to play. A game is chosen in two steps.
Step 1: Choose the operator
The upper half of the game the user can choose between different operators, +, -, * and %.
Step 2: Choose the numbers to practice
The lower half of the screen allows the user to select which numbers to practice. Pressing one of these buttons will start the actual game.
The numbers will initially start off Black. As different levels are completed the numbers will change color. The game has different levels, essentially a gold, silver and bronze level.
Step 1: Choose the operator
The upper half of the game the user can choose between different operators, +, -, * and %.
Step 2: Choose the numbers to practice
The lower half of the screen allows the user to select which numbers to practice. Pressing one of these buttons will start the actual game.
The numbers will initially start off Black. As different levels are completed the numbers will change color. The game has different levels, essentially a gold, silver and bronze level.
- Gold: All 25 questions answered in < 30 seconds
- Silver: All 25 questions are answered in < 45 seconds
- Bronze: All 25 questions are answered in < 60 seconds
Playing the Game
The top half just shows the game you are playing.
The lower half of the screen is where you answer questions. If a question isn't answered within 5 seconds, an orange "Hint" appears. The point is to teach kids the answers, not make them suffer. They still have to type in the answer, so hopefully they learn.
The timer is started the moment the first answer is entered.
Showing Records
Records for a given player can be displayed by selecting "Show High Scores" from the main screen.