"6x4 is 24!" was one of many common solutions heard around the gymnasium when I traveled with Jarvisburg Elementary School to the annual Math 24 Competition at Moyock Elementary School on March 11, 2015. Math 24 is a game where a card is placed on the table and you have to make the number 24 from the four numbers on a game card. You can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Use all four numbers on the card, but use each number only once. You do not have to use all four operations. The object is to get as many points as you can by correctly answering the cards. How the tournament worked was 160 students gathered at Moyock Elementary School and each played 2 preliminary rounds. After the 2 preliminary rounds, the top 16 scores went on to the semi-finals. After the semi-finals, the top 4 scores went on to the finals. I volunteered with this team. My role in all of this was to help Mrs. Williams, a 4th and 5th grade combination class teacher, with holding tryouts for the team, practicing with the team, and traveling with the team to the tournament. I actually started working with the team in mid-December. I began helping out with the team for their tryouts. During tryouts, I took students that had signed up to tryout for the team to the library in random groups of 4, that were assigned by Mrs. Williams, and played 10 minute rounds of the 24 Game cards with them. Each student got to play 2 tryout rounds. I served as the proctor in these rounds. I placed the cards on the table in fair reach and sight of all students, made sure students were following the rules (which can be found here), and kept their scores. I learned a lot here from watching how the students computed the solution of 24 from the 4 different numbers on the card. The top 16 scores added together from the 2 tryout rounds made the actual team that would travel to the area competition. I practiced with the team on various occasions again as a proctor. We practiced with the cards as small groups over the course of January, February, and March up until the date of the competition. On March 11, 2015, I traveled with the team to the area competition that I earlier discussed. Here, I helped the coach, Mrs. Williams, to facilitate the team at the competition. (And, I kind of served as a team cheerleader too!) This was a really cool student teacher thing for me to get to experience. I got to work with 16 amazing 4th and 5th grade students over the course of about 3 months to help them set goals and work towards them involving this competition. The students worked so hard, and I'm pretty sure they could answer the cards in their sleep. But, it paid off! 7 students from the top 16 were from the Jarvisburg team, and 3 of the top 4 were from Jarvisburg as well. The Jarvisburg team also had the overall top score from the preliminary rounds of the tournament out of 160 students, the first place winner from the tournament, the second place winner from the tournament, and the fourth place winner from the tournament. So, I got to work with the students in practicing and preparing for the tournament and watch them excel at the tournament. It's a great game to motivate students to love math and help students grow in their conceptual understanding! Click the button below to go to the 24 Game site if you'd like to learn more about the 24 Game and implementing it in your classroom! Below is a slideshow with some of the highlights from the tournament!
1 Comment
bryon green
3/6/2016 10:01:12 am
i am awsome
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