Virtual Manipulatives Help

Copy objects in the work area. Select the Duplicate button and then drag a bounding box around the object or set of objects to be duplicated (see Move). This will select all of the objects inside the box and create a duplicate copy. Release the duplicated objects by clicking the mouse in the position where the objects should be placed.

Move	Duplicate	Glue	Unglue	Erase
Label	Translate	Reflect	Rotate	Grid
Two-Venn	Three-Venn	All 24	Random Tiles	Flip Tiles
Circle	Group	Ungroup	Edit Band	Random Bars
Shade	Unshade	Split	Unsplit	Spin

Pattern Blocks	Colored Tiles	Polygons for Tessellations		Attribute Pieces
Black and Red Tiles	Numeration Pieces	Geoboards	Fraction Bars	Spinners

MENU ITEMS
File > Print Screen Use the File > Print Screen menu to print your work. Notes typed in the Notepad will also print if the Notepad is open. TOP
File > Clear Screen Use the File > Clear Screen menu to clear the open work area. Notes typed in the Notepad will not be cleared. TOP
Virtual Manipulatives The Virtual Manipulatives program, 7e, contains the following manipulatives from your Manipulative Kit: Pattern Blocks, Colored Tiles, Polygons for Tessellations, Attribute Pieces, Black and Red Tiles, Numeration Pieces, Geoboards, Fraction Bars and Spinners. Use the Virtual Manipulatives menu to select the set of manipulatives you wish to use, for example: Virtual Manipulatives > Pattern Blocks. See also: Manipulative Objects. A brief name for each manipulative object appears at the bottom of the screen when you pass your mouse over the manipulative object. You can switch between manipulative work areas without erasing your placement of the manipulatives in a different work area. All of your work will be erased if you close the program; there is no save option. TOP
Notepad Open and close the Notepad by selecting and deselecting Notepad > Show Notepad. Change the font by selecting your font choice in this menu. You can backspace over the default text that appears when you first open the Notepad. You can open and close your Notepad without erasing the notes you have typed. When you change work areas using the Virtual Manipulatives menu, the same notes will appear on your Notepad in all work areas. TOP
Resources > Activities Use the Resources > Activities menu to open a web page with links to pdf files of each of the One page Math Activities from Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Conceptual Approach, Seventh Edition (copyright, McGraw Hill, 2007). Click on the name of an individual activity (example: Peg Jumping Puzzle) to open a separate window in which a pdf version of the one page Math Activity will show. TOP
Resources > Help Use the Resources > Help menu to access this help file. TOP
CONTROL BUTTONS AND DROP DOWN MENUS Brief directions for each control button appears at the bottom of the screen when you pass your mouse over the control button.
Move TOP	Move objects around work area. Select the Move arrow and pass the mouse over an object; a black dot on the object indicates the object can be selected. Click the mouse on the object to select it, move the mouse around the work area and release the mouse in the position where the object should be placed. Bounding Box. To move multiple objects, glue objects together and move one of the objects, which will move all connected objects as well. Another option is to select multiple objects by dragging a bounding box around the set of objects (click in any location near the objects and drag a box around the objects with the mouse held down). Click the mouse in the position where the objects should be placed.
Duplicate TOP	Copy objects in the work area. Select the Duplicate button and then drag a bounding box around the object or set of objects to be duplicated (see Move). This will select all of the objects inside the box and create a duplicate copy. Release the duplicated objects by clicking the mouse in the position where the objects should be placed.
Glue TOP	Glue objects together. Once objects are glued together, the controls will treat them as one object. Select the Glue button and then drag a bounding box around the set of objects to be glued together (see Move).The objects are now glued together and will behave as one object. Another option is to select the Glue Button and then click on each of the objects you wish to glue together. Black dots will appear on the objects you are gluing. See Unglue to reverse.
Unglue TOP	Unglue objects / reverse Glue. Select the Unglue button and click on individual objects in a glued set to unglue them one at a time, leaving the other objects glued together. The black dot that appears on an object once the mouse passes over it indicates the object can be unglued. Another option is to select the Unglue button and drag a bounding box around a set of glued objects to unglue the whole set.
Erase TOP	Erase objects from the work area. Select the Erase button and drag a bounding box around a single object or set of objects to erase them. To erase all of the objects on the screen, select File > Clear Screen To erase background objects such as Venn diagrams or grids from the work area, click on the Venn diagram or grid button as indicated in the brief directions at the bottom of the screen when you pass the moue over these buttons in the left bar. Selecting a different background object will also erase the first background object and replace it with the background object selected last.
Label TOP	Place text and labels in the work area. Select the Label button and click in the work area where you wish to place the label. A box will appear in which text can be entered. Clicking Done will create a text object in the work area, which behaves like a manipulative object and can be moved, glued, duplicated, rotated, etc.
Translate TOP	Translate objects in the work area. Select the Translate button and pass the mouse over an object, a black dot will appear on the center of the object. With the mouse held down, drag a translation line to end in the desired position on the work area and release the mouse to translate the object to this position.
Reflect TOP	Reflect selected objects over a reflection line. Select the Reflect button and click the mouse once on the work area to place one end of the reflection line and click again to place the other end. Clicking on an object will reflect the object over this line. The reflection line can be moved, simply by clicking on the red dot at the end of the reflection line, dragging it (with the mouse held down) and releasing it. To reset the reflection line, click on any other tool to clear the line and then click the Reflect button again to begin the process again.
Rotate TOP	Rotate an object in the work area. Select the Rotate button. Click anywhere on an object or in the work area to set the center of rotation. The center of rotation is indicated by a blue dot. Pass your mouse over an object and click when the black dot appears, drag the object in either direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) to rotate the object around the center of rotation. Glue objects together first to rotate a set of objects together. To reset the rotation point, click on the Rotate button to begin the process again.
TOP	Choose grid size. Use the Grid Width and Height drop down menus to select grid dimensions (2 to 10 for Colored Tiles and 2 to 5 for Attribute Pieces). See also Show Grid / Hide Grid
Show Grid / Hide Grid TOP	Draws a grid in the Colored Tile or Attribute Pieces work areas. Select the dimensions of the grid from the Grid Size menus and click (Show) Grid to place a grid in the upper left hand corner of the work area (and remove any other background object such as a Venn diagram). The grid cannot be moved. To remove the grid click the (Hide) Grid button a second time. This button toggles between Show and Hide Grid.
TOP	Choose attribute pieces to place in the Attribute Pieces work area. Use the Choose a Shape drop down menu to select the attribute piece you wish to place in the work area. Click in the work area to place the selected attribute piece.
Two Venn Diagram TOP	Draw a two-circle Venn Diagram in the Attribute Pieces work area. Select the Two-Venn Diagram button to place a two-circle Venn Diagram in the middle of the work area (and remove any other background object such as a grid or three-circle Venn diagram). The two-circle Venn diagram cannot be moved. To remove the Venn diagram click the Two-Venn Diagram button a second time.
Three Venn Diagram TOP	Draw a three-circle Venn Diagram in the Attribute Pieces work area. Select the Three-Venn Diagram button to place a three-circle Venn Diagram in the middle of the work area (and remove any other background object such as a grid or two-circle Venn diagram). The three-circle Venn diagram cannot be moved. To remove the Venn diagram click the Three-Venn Diagram button a second time.
All 24 Pieces TOP	Places all 24 different Attribute Pieces in the Attribute Pieces work area. Select the All 24 Pieces button to place the entire set of attribute pieces, organized by shape and size, in the work area.
Random Tiles TOP	Places random sets of Black and Red tiles in the Black - Red Tiles work area. Select the Random Tiles button to place a random selection of black and red tiles on the work area. Click on the work area and then select the Random Tile button again to repeat the process.
Flip Tiles TOP	Flips selected Red and Black tiles in the Black - Red Tiles work area. Select the Flip Tile button and then drag a bounding box around the set of tiles to be flipped (see Move) to change the red tiles to black and the black tiles to red. Another option is to select the Flip Tiles Button and then click on each of the tiles you wish to flip. Black dots will appear on the tiles when you can click to flip them.
Draw Circle TOP	Draw a circle in the Black - Red Tiles work area. Select the Draw Circle button and click in the work area where you wish to place the center of the circle. Drag the circle to the desired size and release the mouse. A circle can be moved by clicking the mouse on the black center dot of the circle and dragging the circle with the mouse held down (the dot will appear when you pass the mouse over the circle). You cannot resize a circle. To erase a circle, select the Erase button and draw a bounding box around the circle.
TOP	Select base in the Numeration Pieces work area. Select a base from the drop down menu in the left bar (base 2 to base 10 are available).
Group TOP	Group pieces in the Numeration Pieces work area. To regroup numerations pieces into longs, flats and long-flats, select the Group button and then drag a bounding box around the pieces you wish to group. The pieces you select will show a black dot in the center if the Virtual Manipulative program will group them on this sweep and a yellow dot if the program will not group them on this sweep. The program will only group one set of b pieces into the next higher piece per sweep per level; repeat Group until all of the pieces you wish to group are grouped together (you do not need to reselect the Group button).
Ungroup TOP	Ungroup pieces in the Numeration Pieces work area. To ungroup longs, flats and long-flats into units, longs and flats (respectively), select the Ungroup button and then drag a bounding box around the pieces you wish to ungroup. The pieces you select will show a black dot in the center if the Virtual Manipulative program will ungroup them. The program will ungroup every piece in the bounding box; repeat Ungroup until the pieces are as ungrouped as you wish (you do not need to reselect the Ungroup button).
TOP	Select geoboard type for the Geoboard work area. Select Square or Circle to toggle the Geoboard manipulative object between the square and the circular geoboard choices.
TOP	Choose geoboard size for the Geoboard work area. Use the Pegs drop down menu to select geoboard sizes Square geoboards can be 3 pegs x 3 pegs to 9 pegs x 9 pegs and circular geoboards can be 8 pegs, 12 pegs, ..., to 32 pegs
TOP	Add rubber bands to geoboards in the Geoboard work area. Select the band color you wish to use from the drop down menu. Pass the mouse over a geoboard peg until the peg highlights, click on the peg and with the mouse held down, stretch the rubber band to another peg, when the second peg highlights, release the mouse to complete the placement of the band. At this stage you can pass the mouse over any end peg or side of the band (the mouse arrow will turn into a hand) and stretch the rubber band to another peg creating as complex of a shape as you wish with the band. To remove the band from the board, grab the band and drag it off of the board (the Erase control button will erase the board and all of the bands on it).
Edit Rubber Bands TOP	Move rubber bands on Geoboards when you are not in Add Band mode. To edit bands when you are not in Add Band mode (for example after changing work areas or using another control button) select the Edit Rubber Band button and then edit / move bands as described in Add Band of Color.
TOP	Choose Fraction Bar size in the Fraction Bars work area. Use the Type of Bars drop down menu to select a Fraction Bar size (whole to twelfths)
Random Pair TOP	Place two random Fraction Bars in the Fraction Bars work area. Select Random Pair to place two Fraction Bars with a random number of divisions and a random number of filled sections in the work area. If this button is pressed repeatedly, new pairs of bars will be scattered about the work area.
Shade TOP	Shade a segment of a Fraction Bar. Select Shade and click on any Fraction Bar (or drag a bounding box around any set of Fraction Bars) to shade the next open segment of each of the selected bars. Repeat to shade the next open segments and so on.
Unshade TOP	Unshade a segment of a Fraction Bar. Select Unshade and click on any Fraction Bar (or drag a bounding box around any set of Fraction Bars) to unshade one segment of each of the selected bars. Repeat to unshade another segment and so on.
Split TOP	Equally divide the segments of a Fraction Bar. Select the Split button and click on any Fraction Bar (or drag a bounding box around any set of Fraction Bars) to split each segment of each of the selected bars into 2, 3, 4, etc. parts. Repeat to split again and so on.
Unsplit TOP	Remove splits from a Fraction Bar. Select the Unsplit button and click on any Fraction Bar (or drag a bounding box around any set of Fraction Bars) to unsplit the selected bars one split at a time. Repeat to unsplit again and so on. Unsplit will only remove splits added by the Split button, not the original divisions of the selected bar.
TOP	Choose number of Spinner sections for the Spinners work area. Use the Spinner Sections drop down menu to select the number of divisions for a spinner (2 to 10)
Spin Spinner TOP	Spin Spinners. Select the Spin Spinner button and click on any Spinner (or drag a bounding box around any set of Spinners) to spin the selected spinners. Repeat to spin again.
MANIPULATIVES
Pattern Blocks TOP	Select the Pattern Block work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Select a pattern block by clicking the mouse on the pattern block image in the left bar. Click the mouse again on the work area to place the selected pattern block.
Colored Tiles TOP	Select the Colored Tiles work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Select a colored tile by clicking the mouse on the colored tile image in the left bar. Click the mouse again on the work area to place the selected color tile. See also Show Grid / Hide Grid.
Polygons for Tessellations TOP	Select the Polygons for Tessellations work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Select a polygon by clicking the mouse on the polygon image in the left bar. Click the mouse again on the work area to place the selected polygon.
Attribute Pieces TOP	Select the Attribute Pieces work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Attribute Pieces come in four shapes (circle, hexagon, square and circle), two sizes (small and large) and three colors (red, yellow, blue). Use the Choose a Shape drop down menu to select the attribute piece you wish to place in the work area. Click in the work area to place the selected attribute piece. See also Show Grid / Hide Grid, Two-Venn Diagram, Three-Venn Diagram and All 24 Pieces.
Black - Red Tiles TOP	Select the Black - Red Tiles work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Select a black or a red tile by clicking the mouse on the black or red tile image in the left bar. Click the mouse again on the work area to place the selected black or red tile. See also Random Tiles, Flip Tiles and Draw Circle.
Numeration Pieces TOP	Select the Numeration Pieces work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Select a base from the Base drop down menu in the left bar (base 2 to base 10 are available). To place numeration pieces in the work area, click on the unit, long or flat and then click on the work area to place the selected numeration piece. You cannot select a long-flat from the manipulative objects but you can use Group to group b flats into a long-flat in any of the available bases. See also Ungroup.
Fraction Bars TOP	Use the Type of Bars drop down menu to select a Fraction Bar size (whole to twelfths) To place a Fraction Bar in the work area, click on the bar object and then click on the work area to place the selected Fraction Bar. See also Shade, Unshade, Split and Unsplit.
Geoboards TOP	Select the Geoboard work area under the Virtual Manipulatives menu. Use the Board Type drop down menu to select a square or circular geoboard. Use the Pegs drop down menu to select a geoboard size. To place a geoboard in the work area, click on the board object and then click on the work area to place the selected board. See Add Band of Color for directions on how to place rubber bands on the geoboards. See also Edit Rubber Bands.
Spinners TOP	Use the Spinner Sections drop down menu to select the number of divisions for a spinner (2 to 10) To place a Spinner in the work area, click on the spinner object and then click on the work area to place the selected Spinner.