MathLibs: A Lit-Integrated Low Floor, High Ceiling Strategy

Several months ago, I wrote this blog post about revamping math problems to make them more "low floor, high ceiling."  I also offered up this graphic organizer for analyzing and making over problems detailing these possible change strategies:

• Devise a concrete and visual introduction.
• Remove or change restrictions.
• Remove or change known quantities.
• Swap the known and unknown.
• Inject some choice.

One or more of these strategies can be used to tweak the problem and increase the accessibility and reach of the problem.  One strategy that I recommended was to re-write the problem in the form of a MadLib.  I got this idea from a former colleague who created a MadLib project to teach qualitative graphing to her seventh graders.  I thought the idea was pretty genius, so I have retooled it frequently.

Recently, I found this site where you can create your own MadLibs (or "MathLibs").  It's easy to use.  Here's how it works...

Go to the MadLib Generator Website. Title and type your MadLib into the appropriate dialogue boxes, using brackets "[]" to save a place for inputs (I would definitely call these variables, too).

When you've got it the way you like it, you can enter your email address (or not), and click "Generate MadLib) at the bottom of the screen.

Then, you get this screen that provides you with a link to the MadLib you've generated that you can share with your students.  Here's a link to the one that I created.

Students can go to your site and provide the inputs:

Then they have their own personalized problem to solve:

For those keeping score, this strategy allows us to make this problem more accessible and engaging by: 

• Removing or changing restrictions;
• Removing or changing known quantities; and
• Injecting some choice.

 AND this strategy has great potential for integrating math and literacy (an academic interest of mine).

I hope you have fun making MathLibs...  I'd love to hear how it goes!