Using the game as a practice tool will take some planning because mini-activities within each Planet aren't organized by content. For example, activities in one Planet may cover number sense, fractions, and angle measures. Spend some time playing the game to determine how to best use it. It might be best as a mid-year or end-of-year pre-assessment practice tool. The Math Facts option can easily be used for daily warm-up or practice. Kids should work individually, but they can share devices since the game accommodates multiple users.
Continue readingEditor's Note: Middle School Math Planet – Fun math game curriculum for kids is no longer available.
The two main options for play are Math Facts and Planet mini-activities. In Math Facts, kids complete a set of grade-appropriate drills as quickly and accurately as possible. In Planet mini-activities, more than 30 levels are spread across five Planets. Kids work on a variety of skills and activities with different themes. A progress-tracking program shows kids' scores as percentiles and as percent correct. Kids are motivated to earn points and stars, which they can use to unlock new avatars. A condensed, free, Android version of the game covers content for grades 2-8.
Kids can use Middle School Math Planet to practice and build fluency in core math skills. Content areas include number sense, estimation, fractions and mixed numbers, decimals, geometry, multiplication, division, and more. The game features mini-activities within each Planet, and kids have to complete one level in a Planet to go to the next level. Scaffolding is implemented throughout the game, even within mini-activities. For example, in a number line mini-activity, the game starts out with each interval labeled. As kids progress, labels disappear and kids have to use visual clues and estimation. The game also features a Math Facts section, in which kids choose a specific topic and race to complete drills with both speed and accuracy. Hints and feedback for incorrect answers are lacking, but this is still a solid tool for practicing key math skills.