BELLEVUE, Wash., October 27, 2009 –DreamBox Learning, an award-winning, educational software company, today announced that it has released free digital elementary math resources for teachers to use in their Kindergarten through Second Grade classrooms.DreamBox Teacher Tools include a variety of lessons using virtual manipulatives, ideas for incorporating the lessons in the classroom and resources to support teacher’s professional development as they use the toolkit. The virtual manipulatives are web-based tools that help students more easily grasp math concepts in visual terms, and research shows they are effective. The lessons are designed to be successful in a wide range of classroom environments.The Teacher Tools as well as other supplemental teacher resources can be accessed free at www.dreambox.com/teachertools.
“Our national report card in math remains alarmingly low,” said Lou Gray, CEO of DreamBox Learning, “and it is critical that we continue to boost math literacy among all students. These are free, effective, and easy-to-use digital tools for teachers to use in full class instruction, significantly extending the number of environments where DreamBox can be used.”
The complimentary DreamBox Teacher Tools are comprised of four lesson groups taken directly from the award-winning DreamBox Learning K-2 Math program. The first two lesson groups are available immediately, and the other two will be available later this fall.The lessons were specifically designed to let teachers present important mathematical ideas in concrete, visual terms, and engage students in communicating their thinking, allowing for in-depth discussions around a particular math concept. With the use of an interactive whiteboard or projector, teachers can highlight specific strategies during class discussions. The DreamBox Teacher Tools include:
·Quick Images: Identifying Amounts™.This lesson set uses the numbergram, tenframe and wire mathrack virtual manipulatives to help students conceptualize numbers as groups and investigate number relationships. These lessons are easy to use and work well for teachers as a quick mini-lesson during major transition times.
·Open Number Line: Developing Number Sense™.The virtual open number line lesson can be used to support a number of mathematical ideas, including counting, addition and subtraction, modeling situations, and representing student strategies.Teachers can create their own problems to solve or use problems from an existing math curriculum.
·Match-N-Make: Identifying Pairs™. The Match-N-Make lessons allow students to practice computation strategies and identify number patterns and relationships.These quick lesson games can keep students engaged by having them answer in a variety of ways including individually, as partners, or teams as they develop computational fluency.
·Snap Blocks: Determining Equality™. The Snap Blocks™ lessons provide a visual representation of numbers, which students can use to compare the relationship between quantities. The lessons help students to develop efficient strategies and provide an important foundation for early algebra.
All four Teacher Tools can be used as stand-alone activities or as a supplement to an existing math curriculum.The free DreamBox Learning teacher toolkit can be accessed at www.dreambox.com/teachertools. In addition, all teachers who sign up will receive updates on new features and additional tips on how to use the lessons in the classroom.
About DreamBox Learning K-2 Math for the Classroom
DreamBox Math Classroom, the school version of award-winning DreamBox Learning K-2 Math, is an adaptive product that supports what young students learn in the classroom by developing and reinforcing foundational math concepts through effective, individualized instruction while simultaneously being fun and engaging.Unlike other kids’ math learning products, the underlying curriculum of DreamBox Learning K-2 Math is based on Focal Points set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the program presents in-depth math lessons that develop computational fluency, conceptual understanding, and problem-solving ability. As the student embarks on his/her online math adventure, DreamBox Learning’s patented GuideRight™ technology analyzes a student’s individual responses and dynamically customizes the content and sequence for each child — just as a great teacher would adapt a lesson to adjust to students who learn in different ways. Kids are able to explore well over a million individual learning paths throughout their math adventures.
DreamBox Learning K-2 Math has been awarded many of the industry’s highest honors, including the AEP 2009 Golden Lamp, the AEP 2009 Distinguished Achievement Award, the Parents’ Choice Gold Award and the Editor’s Choice Award from Children’s Technology Review.
About DreamBox Learning
DreamBox Learning was founded in 2006 in Bellevue, Washington by world-class technologists, educators, interactive entertainment experts, and entrepreneurs who share a collective vision that every student should have access to an individually tailored, learning experience that is engaging, motivating, and effective. Backed by $7.1 million in angel funding, the company developed a web-based platform for creating effective and individualized online learning products and launched its first adventure-themed product for the home market called DreamBox Learning K-2 Math in early 2009. Both the home-based product and the school-based version, DreamBox Math Classroom, target young students in kindergarten through second grade and are designed to reinforce and teach real math through effective, individualized instruction in an engaging and fun manner. DreamBox Learning K-2 Math is based on NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) recommended math curriculum. More information can be found at www.dreambox.com.
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