The 5th-grade students at Southeast Elementary participated in a Christmas Math Day on Friday, December 13th. During Christmas Math Day, the students traveled throughout the 5th-grade hallway to six different “Christmas Classes.” Each class had a math activity that focused on a specific skill that the students are mastering during their 5th-grade year along with a special Christmas activity or treats. Focusing on adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, comparing, and ordering decimals, the 5th-grade students were eager to solve puzzles, complete the scavenger hunts, identify mystery pictures, and play games. One station incorporated their STEM skills by building, measuring, estimating, and comparing candy cane mint structures as well. Another station implemented the district professional development of vocabulary skills through Math Vocabulary Bingo where the students were identifying, verbalizing, repeating, and defining mathematical terms as. Creating developmentally appropriate hands-on experiences for 5th-grade students is imperative at Southeast Elementary.
In preparation for their learning day, the students have been working diligently with the new math curriculum, Ready Math, that the district bought this past spring to implement during the 2019-2020 school year and beyond. Ready Math is an intensive but balanced approach focusing on conceptual understanding, procedural skills, fluency, and application. This curriculum also has an online component that differentiates to each student’s level and reteaches or enriches students daily. 5th Grade Math teacher, Cassandra Manski, shared, “This program has been a dynamic addition to the math department. The students are showing growth on each knowledge check, and taking ownership of their learning. We truly appreciate the Board of Education and Administration’s attention and commitment to purchasing such a valuable resource for our Quakers.” Russ Hopple, 5th Grade Math Teacher, also added, “The students are really diving into the math and having a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts at a young age.” The 5th-grade staff shared that the 5th-grade parents’ generosity of donations were overwhelming and truly made a difference during this Christmas learning day. The students and staff are grateful we can continue to have support with creating hands-on learning opportunities for our Quakers.
