Math Apps and Activities Summary Post for Students K-3rd Grade

Updated June 24, 2021 (Original post was published April 2021)

One thing that has been obvious during the pandemic is that even young students need to be up and running on technology - in order to access materials! TVIs are embracing the need to teach  technology skills early, so that BLV students are entering kindergarten with tech skills equivalent to their peers. (See Tech Standards: Why Teach Digital Concepts Early?). The next step is to incorporate technology into daily classroom activities. We have learned so much during the 2020-2021 school year about basic spatial math-related concepts and tactile/digital activities to support these concepts. Numerous new posts geared for preschool and early elementary have been added below.

In the last several weeks, I have received numerous questions about accessible digital math options for K-3rd grade students who rely on a screen reader. With COVID-19 school closures, general education teachers are using fun math apps to teach or reinforce math concepts and skills. Unfortunately, these math apps are visual in nature and are not accessible with a screen reader. Braille math packets and manipulatives are often being used with students - and continue to be a great option! However, it is challenging for some TVIs to share the braille materials in a timely manner; and, students are highly motivated when they have an option of playing a math app! For many students, these math apps can be taught in 1:1 virtual sessions, especially if there is initial support from home. 

Note: The apps listed below are also beneficial for students with vision (peers) or with low vision.

First, let's take a look at the tech skills necessary for accessing iOS math apps for grades K-3rd. Included are resources for family members (and/or educators!) who may not be familiar with VoiceOver gestures.The second part of this post lists the Paths to Technology math-related app reviews and posts.

Teaching Digital Math Skills

How do you start transitioning a young student to digital math? First, it is critical to introduce the math skill using manipulatives and tactile formats. The student should learn the braille math code, how to align numbers to solve equations, etc. It is all about tools in the toolbox - to be successful with higher math in digital format, students should be introduced early to very basic digital math concepts. These concepts should mirror the tactile math activity and should systematically progress. 21st century students should be 'multimedia students' who embrace print (if possible), braille, manipulatives, tactile graphics, and digital formats. In the most, we will use the word, 'teacher', to mean the person who will be instructing the student - it might be a family member, general education math teacher, or TVI.

Success with digital math skills requires that the teacher understands:

• It is all about how you teach digital math skills
• Teach math skills tactually first, then transition to digital math skills

Steps to Teaching Digital Math Skills

The teacher needs a clear idea of where digital math will be heading, in order to teach the foundational digital math concepts. For students who rely on a screen reader, these concepts include unique VoiceOver tech skills, which are clearly explained in the related Paths to Technology posts linked below.

• Teacher and student need to be familiar with VoiceOver Gestures and basic tech concepts
• Build math-related digital concepts:
  • Spatial relationships & mental mapping
  • Earcons
  • Sonification
• Introduce math concepts tactually
• Pair tactile math concept with accessible digital concept; then, decrease the tactile support

Basic Gestures & iOS Skills

If you need a jump start with basic VoiceOver gestures and the more unique tech skills, the following posts will guide you. FYI: Don't worry, you are not alone! Most people with vision have never heard of "split tap", gesture of the terms  "earcons" or "sonification", which means many students with visual impairments frequently have gaps in these areas! Most of these math-related posts include video tutorials.

• Getting Started on VoiceOver on the iPad
• 1 Finger Gestures
• 2 Finger Gestures
• 3 finger Gestures (Most math apps for young students do not incorporate 3 finger gestures, but I've included this post for those of you who are over achievers!)
• Drag and Split Tap
  • The Unknown Gesture: Split Tap
• Earcons
  • iCons and Earcons: Critical but often overlooked tech skills
• Sonification
  • (Note: See Sonitunes in the proof-of-concept section for future sonification apps geared for early math skills)
  • Sonification: Sounds with Meanings post (How sonification is applied to charts and graphs for older students)

Tactile Transitioning to Digital Activities (**New Posts!**)

• Spatial Tech Standards 1: Digital Terms (top, bottom, left, right, over, under and more!)
• Squigz: Toy to Promote Improvement of Development Skills and Independence (Activities for spatial terms activities and finger strength for gestures)
• VoiceOver Teaching Strategies: Spatial Concepts Activity
• Spatial Tech Standards: 2 Rows
• Ice Cube Tray Math Activities: Greater Than and Graphing
• Using Technology to Develop Critical Thinking Skills
• Tactile to Digital Part 1: Math Robot (critical tech concepts plus Math Robot tactile overlays)
• Tactile to Digital Part 2: Math Melodies (progression of using models, tactile graphics, and iPad overlays)
• Tactile to Digital Part 3: Creating a A Tactile Overlay On-The-Go! (Using simple materials)
• Tactile to Digital Part 4: Positions in a Table (tactile overlays, introduces rows and columns, Math Melodies game)
• Tactile to Digital Part 5: Addition and Subtraction (Math Melody app with tactile overlays)
• Creatingn PIAF Tactile Images: Math Pattern Calendar
• Cranmer Abacus (Don't forget the abacus - an amazing tactile tool to teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division!)

Digital Math Skills

• Moving Forward with Accessible Digital Math Part 1
  • Spatial concepts & mental mapping
  • Earcons
  • Sonification
• Moving Forward with Accessible Digital Math Part 2
  • Bar Charts
    • Digital Transitions #4: Bar Charts (Fall Leaf Activity)
    • Creating an Accessible Bar Chart in the Pages App: iOS 11
  • Grids
    • Ballyland Sound Memory Game: Matching and Math Grids
    • (See Coding Summary Post in the Coding section below for numerous activities
    • Halloween Suduko Puzzle Grids and Tables post
  • Tables
    • Introducing Accessible Digital Grid and Table
    • Teaching Positions in a Table Post
    • Tech Standards: Navigating a Table using JAWS

Math Melodies App

Math Melodies App was fully redesigned and updated in the fall of 2021.

• Math Melodies App: Young Students post
  • Counting
  • Sequence
  • Add or delete
  • Addition Positions in a table
  • Compare Quantities 
• Math Melodies App Part 1: Addition
  • Includes carrying!

APH Math Robot App

• APH’s Math Robot: iOS Game (Basic accessible math facts app)

Number Line Concepts

• Teaching Number Line Math Skills Part 1 (Logan with tactile number lines – basic number line concepts)
• Teaching Number Line Math Skills Part 2 (Logan with tactile number lines addition and subtraction
• Teaching Number Line Math Skills Part 3: Accessible App (Cosmic Numbers; proof-of-concept app. Note: Cosmic Numbers updated spring semester 2020.)
• Cosmic Numbers: Accessible Number Line App Semester 2 (Exciting updates in this app!)
• Teaching Number Line Math Skills Part 4 (Applying number lines skills & additional activities)
• Alligator Crunch: Missing Number (Hundreds Chart activity – currently not yet available in a digital form)
• Teaching the Number Line: Lesson and Tips (CVI)

Desmos (Graphing Calculator)

• Desmos Audio Tracing: Introducing Sonified Graphs
• Exploring Math with Desmos: Getting Started

Coding

There are too many coding concept posts to list here; see Coding Posts Summary which organizes and lists coding-related posts (unplugged, apps, robots, and programming languages).

• Coding Posts Summary
• Ballyland Code 1: Say Hello This is the first of 3 Ballyland Code apps (Users can purchase 3D printer files)
• Teaching the CodeQuest App to Students who are Visually Impaired This post is based on the original CodeQuest app (Note: CodeQuest has available brf. files representing the grids and 3D printed tactile files of the characters)
• CodeQuest (soon to be released): APH has taken over CodeQuest, field tested the app and made changes. The APH version is anticipated to be publicly released in June 2020.

Proof-of-Concept Apps/Future apps

• Sonitunes (Digital Lines App); University AT Project (This is a proof-of-concept app that has garnered interest from other developers. Stay tuned for more news for future sonification apps for young students!)

Do you know of additional accessible math apps for K-3rd grade students who use VoiceOver? Please share your favorite apps and/or math-related activities!