Contributed by Cecily Gottling, LS Math Specialist
D-E’s Bulldog Math Team is off to a great start again this year! 17 third graders, 17 fourth graders, and all the fifth graders are once again participating in the Continental Math League math contests.
Our 3rd and 4th grade teams meet once a week to learn problem-solving strategies and practice solving really challenging problems. Then once a month, the children try to solve 6 challenging problems in 30 minutes. Coaching sessions are designed to help students develop skills in collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Participating in the actual contests builds perseverance and a willingness to take a risk. Math Team is all about working together and developing grit!
The third graders are currently practicing two important strategies—guess and check and logic—in order to solve challenging problems about sums and differences. Fourth graders are working on algebraic reasoning and understanding the nuances of divisibility. Our fourth graders just finished their second contest and were cheered to see that everyone improved after a really tough first contest. Problem-solving strategies are a routine component of the fifth graders’ math experiences. The fifth graders will participate in their second contest next week.
Below is a sample problem the children are working on:
Go Lower School Bulldogs!
“Math team is a bit hard because you have to think a lot. That’s a good thing because it gets your mind going.” – Adesola
“Something surprising happened to me! I was doing my contest, and it was really challenging.
I expected to get a 3 or under except
I surprisingly got a 4. I felt really good
about that.” – Ellie
“I feel good about the answers I got. I don’t feel too badly about the ones I didn’t get because there’s always room for improvement.” – Kiran