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Math Games Encourage Practice at Home

Partnering with a local teacher supply store, Conococheague Elementary School in Hagerstown, Maryland, invited families for an evening of math activities and games to provide a foundation for practice at home.

The ideas for articles in this Partners for Student Success series come from annual collections of Promising Partnership Practices by the National Network of Partnership Schools. Established by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, NNPS is dedicated to bringing together schools, districts, and states that are committed to developing and maintaining comprehensive programs of school-family-community partnerships. "Based on more than a decade of research and the work of many educators, parents, students, and others, we know that it is possible for all elementary, middle, and high schools to develop and maintain strong programs of partnership," NNPS director Joyce L. Epstein told Education World. NNPS provides a wide range of resources to help schools and school districts build strong partnerships. Click the links below to… … learn more about how your school or district can join NNPS. …find out about NNPS products and services. …investigate research related to school, family, and community partnerships.

"Our math night came about because we were looking for ways to improve our state assessment scores," says Sherry Everitts, the school's parent partnership coordinator. "Teachers volunteered their time for the evening. We encouraged the students to go to their grade level and the levels above to prepare for next year. They could visit classrooms below their grade level to review concepts."

The store supplied professionally-made games for the students to play with and purchase, if desired. Staff members and PTA representatives gave instruction in the store's games, while classroom teachers presented additional free make-and-take activities. Everyone went home with materials to share together.

"We often hear from parents, 'That is not how I was taught to solve the problem,'" Everitts told Education World. "Parents liked this event because they became actively involved in their child's learning. They also became familiar with the curriculum and how the students were instructed to solve problems."

Skill review was the purpose of the games, but each one included an element of fun. A popular third grade game featured at the math event was "Sink or Swim." In it, players take on the roles of two divers in search of buried treasure when their tanks begin to run low on air. They roll dice and add, subtract, or multiply the numbers to obtain an answer and move toward a life raft or shark to earn points.

The PTA purchased four math games for door prizes, and students registered as they entered. Among other incentives, students who attended received a free homework pass. Flyers and the monthly school newsletter publicized the math event. It has been held for a few years, and the number of parents who attend continues to be impressive.

"We think this has been so successful because it has been well organized and has kept the students and parents involved in hands-on activities for the entire time period," Everitts observed. "Our teachers promote the activity and are active participants. It's fun to see parents (and students) become so involved with the activities that they want to go to all the games!"

Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © 2007 Education World

Originally published 02/26/2007