NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Albert Leonard Middle School PTA STEAM Committee organized the school’s first Family Math Night. More than 100 students and their parents participated during an evening in late October to play an array of games and sports activities that involved math and logical reasoning.
The Family Math Night was not just fun; it found interesting ways to connect directly to our curriculum.
“Two of the key components of the common core curriculum, which contain a broad array of topics while also trying to delve deeper into each, are the use of applied math and the expansion of divergent thinking,” ALMS math teacher Daniel Kelly said.
Several of the activities at the Family Math Night included situations where there was not one right answer, but instead, an array of possibilities worth exploring. In cases where there may be one optimal answer, the games and puzzles asked participants to get creative while applying math concepts to arrive at the right result. All in all, the event was enjoyable and educational!
Mathnasium, through their partnership with National PTA, served as the main exhibitor, running about 10 games. Other exhibitors ran challenging activities, including Frank Conroy’s Basketball Camp, Girls Inc., Jem Games, National Scholastic Chess Foundation, Smart Step Fitness and Tutoring Solutions.
Exhibits and games included using math for measuring health and fitness, basketball trivia, games on the chess board, Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe, Bullseye (interactive math game), Tessellations in Nature, SET (pattern matching card game), building complex 3D shapes and Mobius strip crafts.
ALMS teacher Sara Yeterian played the card game SET with students of all ages. Students from ALMS and NRHS hosted their own exhibits, and four ALMS parents ran their own games and activities.
Physical Education Director Tilsa Rodriguez-Gonzalez helped coordinate activities that showed how math is used for staying healthy and exercising. ALMS basketball coach Donald Ross arranged for ALMS student athletes to run a game of basketball math trivia.
The event was made possible by a grant from the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence.