MathApprentice.com: Using Math in the Real World

I remember asking my teacher and parents as a child, "When will I ever use math in the real world? Why do I need to learn this?"MathApprentice.com has brilliantly found a way to answer that very question.

Upon entering the Explore the Math portion of the site, students choose a character and begin their journey through an animated business district. Some of the businesses include professions such as construction worker, doctor, veterinarian, and chef. Once the business is entered, the student will watch an animated video of the owner explaining how math is used in their business and the job the student must complete.

The student then acts as an intern at the business by completing the task assigned by the manager. For example, if you visit the Sweet Treat Cafe, you will asked by the owner, Charlie, to decide the amount of pies to make and the correct amount of ingredients needed to make them. Skills used in this particular activity include reading graphs and charts and determining measurements. At Game Pro, a business that creates video games for the Wii and Xbox, the activity requires students to use the Pythagorean Theorem to keep up with the distance between the hero and the villain as a video game designer. Talk about real world connections!

Even though this site is geared towards kids in grades 4-6, students in higher grades may benefit as well. Math concepts and skills should continuously be practiced and can always be improved upon. Children will enjoy and surely learn from the variety of professions and activities MathApprentice.com has to offer.