What gets printed
When you press Print Worksheet, MathGem prints two things in one go:
- The worksheet pages. The first page has the worksheet title and its Set ID. Each later page shows its page number and the same Set ID.
- The answer sheet. It always starts on a new page after the last worksheet page, and lists the answers to every problem on every page in one numbered list. It does not appear on screen; you only see it in the print preview and on paper.
The sidebar, the navigation and the explanations below the worksheet are left out of the printout.
The order that works best
- Choose the settings in the sidebar: the digits for Basic Math, or the operation, question type or difficulty for later topics.
- Choose the number of pages, from 1 to 10.
- Press Generate to make the problems with those settings.
- Adjust the row spacing if you want more or less room for working.
- Open the print preview and check the pages before printing.
The order matters in one place: Generate resets the row spacing to the default for the topic, so adjust the spacing after generating, not before.
How many pages and problems
A worksheet can have up to 10 pages, and every page has different problems. How many problems fit on a page depends on the topic: short problems, such as Basic Math or fractions, have 20 per page, while topics with longer problems, such as harder order of operations or conic sections, have fewer, so that each one has enough room for working.
Several short worksheets are often easier to use than one long one. A single page is a good daily amount for many students, and a fresh page the next day keeps practice from turning into memorising the same problems.
Row spacing: room for working
The Row Spacing buttons (− and +) make the space under each problem smaller or larger in small steps. More space helps when a student writes large, or when a problem needs several lines of working, as with equations and factoring. Less space suits quick mental arithmetic.
After changing the spacing, look at the print preview to see how the problems sit on each page before you print.
Keeping the answer sheet with its worksheet
Every worksheet gets a Set ID, a number such as #4827, printed on each worksheet page and on its answer sheet. Each press of Generate creates a new set of problems with a new Set ID.
- Match by Set ID. When several worksheets are printed at once, for example for siblings or for a week of practice, the Set ID tells you which answer sheet belongs to which worksheet.
- Separate the answer sheet first. It is always the last page or pages of the printout, so take it out before handing the worksheet over.
- Print the worksheet without answers. If you only want the worksheet, choose the worksheet pages in the print dialog's page range, and leave out the last page.
- Print every copy you need now. Worksheets are not saved. Reloading the page or pressing Generate makes a new set, and an earlier set cannot be brought back, so print extra copies before moving on.
Printer settings
- Paper size. The pages are laid out for US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 inches). If you print on A4, check the preview, and use your browser's scaling option if anything is cut off.
- Headers and footers. MathGem sets the page margins itself, which normally stops the browser from adding the page address and date to the edges. If they still appear, turn off "Headers and footers" in the print dialog.
- Black and white is fine. Worksheets and answer sheets read clearly without colour.
Keyboard shortcuts
- Ctrl+P (⌘P on a Mac) opens the print dialog, the same as Print Worksheet.
- Ctrl+R (⌘R on a Mac) makes a new set of problems, the same as Generate, instead of reloading the page.
Printing the lesson pages
From Basic Math 2 onward, each topic has four printable lesson pages next to its worksheet: Key Concept, Investigate, Problem Solving Process and Basic Exercise. They are opened with the coloured tabs on the right edge of the worksheet. While a lesson tab is open, the print button changes to Print This Page, and only that lesson page is printed, without an answer sheet. Each lesson page fits on a single sheet of Letter paper.
For a class with different levels
A teacher can print the same topic at two or three settings, for example Easy, Medium and Hard, for different groups. Each printout has its own Set ID, so the answer sheets stay matched to the right group's worksheets, and students sitting next to each other get different problems even at the same setting.