Math Extension Class

Math Enrichment Groups

Math enrichment groups meet for 50-60 minutes twice a week during students' typically scheduled math blocks. Third grade students and fourth grade students are taught separately. 

Priority placement is offered to students who are formally identified as Gifted and Talented in Math, although if space allows classroom teachers may offer additional students the option of participating.   

To be identified as Gifted and Talented in Math, a student must go through the CRES GT screening and identification process, which is explained in greater detail on our home page.   

Students identified as Gifted and Talented in Math will continue in the math extension class as long as they are in good academic standing. Grades of 3 or higher in math AND in CRES Core Values qualify as good academic standing. Teachers may recommend student placement changes if these criteria are not met. 

This course is structured around math challenges that require children to make connections between different mathematical concepts and to think flexibly and creatively about numbers. Extensive problem solving is woven into the learning experience to stretch students, along with an additional written and verbal component of proving one’s answer and/or explaining mathematical strategies. The writing can be challenging at times but it will provide a solid foundation for further math studies. We consistently practice mental math and strive to develop systematic approaches to problem-solving. Students work with varied math topics including but not limited to puzzles involving multiplication facts and the traditional algorithms for vertical addition and subtraction. We extend that knowledge to apply the same concept to 4-digit problems and beyond. We also analyze data and practicing rounding numbers to large place values. Many third grade students are developing a conceptual understanding of fractions as parts of the whole and are beginning to connect this concept to how parts of a whole are represented as decimals. Students practice adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators and converting their answers to simplest form. We also explore equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and improper fractions.

We engage in at least two project-based learning activities in third grade, although students typically opt for more project opportunities: 

• Students study a true story of a long distance open water swimmer who was being followed by a lost baby whale. To determine whether this swimmer should attempt to reunite the whale with its mother who had been sighted a distance offshore, children read articles to better understand a long distance swimmer’s endurance and interpreted graphs of a swimmer’s ability to remain safely in water of varying temperatures for different durations with and without a wetsuit. Students measure to determine distance using a scale map and practice proportional thinking in converting from one unit to another and adding mixed numbers to determine the additional distance the swimmer would need to swim. They create a table of the additional distance traveled vs. total time that would add to the swimmer’s time in the water, then graphe these values on the coordinate plane before ultimately making a recommendation as to what the swimmer should do. 

• Students design water parks, allowing students to practice creating a bird's eye scale model with clear labels and captions. Students are asked to draw at least one water park ride from a scaled front view in addition to the bird's eye view, challenging their spatial thinking. As one component of this project, children must calculate the volume of the various irregularly shaped pools they design. This project also serves as an opportunity for students to present their thinking before a group of "investors" in a confident and clear manner.

This course is structured around math challenges that require children to make connections between different mathematical concepts and to think flexibly and creatively about numbers. Extensive problem solving is woven into the learning experience to stretch students, along with an additional written and verbal component of proving one’s answer and/or explaining mathematical strategies. The writing can be challenging at times but it will provide a solid foundation for further math studies. We consistently practice mental math and strive to develop systematic approaches to problem-solving.  Students work with varied math topics including but not limited to data analysis, exponents and scientific notation, measurement and unit conversions, fractions, decimals, and percentages.  Groups in the past have practiced working with order of operations (PEMDAS), translating word problems to basic algebraic expressions, and evaluating basic algebraic expressions.

There is some flexibility to follow student interest and delve into science. In the past,  students have explored electricity and circuit building. Students learned to diagram circuits and investigated questions they were curious about by making predictions and changing one variable at a time.  Children also used inductive reasoning to come up with rules for building circuits. 

We engage in at least three project-based learning activities in 4th grade, although students typically opt for more project opportunities: 

• Students design stores and created inventories, applying what they learned about decimals to generate pricing and calculate percent discounts and sales tax. They calculate how much money they would need to borrow to purchase an initial store inventory and determined which of three different loan options would be the best choice based on their term, interest rates, and monthly payment required. This project culminates in a shopping day when students work at their stores and while other students and/or parents shop for purchases.

•  In another project, students design and engineer bridges from toothpicks and glue to meet certain specifications while maintaining a fiscally responsible, clearly labeled budget for their projects. 

• Students learn to program Sphero robots, progressing from drawing a path, then using using a sequence of code blocks in order to move their robot through a maze and/or tackle a personal challenge or goal.