Case Study: Math Enrichment Programs

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Mary Curry

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THE MANGO MATH K-5 CURRICULUM is an integral part of the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound’s daily after school math program. The Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound oversees nine Boys & Girls Clubs in Kitsap, Pierce, and Mason County, Washington.

Margie Gabe, the Site Coordinator for the Sand Hill Boys & Girls Club, cites MANGO Math’s ease of use, self-contained lessons, and the quality and creativity of the materials and activities as a big part of the curriculum’s attraction:

“MANGO Math is an integral part of our everyday program. Math has always been a big deal for us, and we are impressed with the range and scope of activities, that the activities are self-contained and very user friendly – we like that they are already put together and ready to use “as is”, right out of the crate. The children really enjoy the MANGO Math activities and the wide range of math concepts covered. Our volunteer staff find the curriculum easy to use and explain, and like that the children are engaged with the games and activities, and with each other.”

Ms. Gabe has personally witnessed a student who had been struggling with math show improvement using the MANGO curriculum – and a survey sent out by her club shows improvement in overall grades for all students participating in their program.

The Lake Chelan, Washington School District, which runs 20 after school math classes, has a similar experience. Jennifer Polley, who manages the curriculum for the Lake Chelan School District, likes MANGO’s organization, ease of use, and self-contained lesson plans:

“We would definitely repurchase and recommend the MANGO Math curriculum based on our experience”.

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Mango Math Tutoring Starts February 1!

Posted on January 25, 2011 by admin

We are now offering individual math tutoring for grades K-12 at our Snohomish Learning Center.

Mango Math TutoringOne 1-hour session:

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Four 1-hour sessions:

Price: $100.00

7th/8th grade math | pre-algebra | algebra | geometry

Call us at (425) 286-8777 to learn more and schedule times, or stop by our store at 1024 1st Street, Suite 102, Snohomish, WA.

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Hands-on vs. Web-Based Math Education

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Mary Curry

Increasingly, school districts are using on-line tools to supplement their math curriculum. In our experience, however, there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to web-based math resources.

Being able to locate a textbook on-line so a forgotten book isn’t an issue is great. Having someone give a video example of a specific problem may be helpful, and having math facts as an electronic arcade game can make rote memorization less of a chore.

Manipulative based learning vs. online learningBut are these programs helping students truly understand and apply math concepts? Our job as educators is not to just teach our students how to get an answer through the use of an algorithm, but to get students to think about how numbers work and how to make difficult math concepts less “abstract” and show how they are applied in everyday life.

According to The Journal of Instructional Pedagogies the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, “the foundation for children’s mathematical development is established in the early years” (citing Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Seefeldt & Wasik, 2006, p. 249).

It is important for children to have a variety of materials to manipulate and the opportunity to sort, classify, weigh, stack and explore if they are to construct mathematical knowledge. “In order to have opportunities to learn math, children need firsthand experiences related to math, interaction with other children and adults concerning these experiences and time to reflect on the experiences” (Seefeldt & Wasik, 2006, p. 250).

Educational research indicates that the most valuable learning occurs when students actively construct their own mathematical understanding, which is often accomplished through the use of manipulatives.  A Purdue University study¹ found that:

“. . . hands-on learning is more likely to engage students, [and] . . .  can actually boost comprehension in certain subjects . . . students who engaged in hands-on learning activities had a deeper understanding of the concepts than students who had lecture-based lessons, especially in students for whom English was not their first language.”

There are some great on-line math resources on the NCTM website as well as the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives where students can explore many math concepts.  But on-line math supplements alone are not enough – and should be balanced with hands-on, manipulative based activities, particularly in the early years.

Learn more about our math curriculum, after school enrichment and math tutoring programs

¹Exploring the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Water Resources Engineering Module in an Eighth Grade Science Class, Jody L. Riskowski, Carrie Davis Todd, Bryan Wee, Melissa Dark, Jon Harbor

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After-School Programs having Success with MANGO Math!

Posted on January 18, 2011 by admin

MANGO Math after school enrichment programsMANGO Math is good any time of the day!

Afterschool programs like the Boys and Girls Club of Puget Sound and Zion Preparatory Academy’s  Saturday Math Academy are having great success with the MANGO Math crates. Kids are able to do the activities and grasp important math concepts and skills in a fun and interactive way.

Both groups have had great success incorporating parents into the picture – parents come in and teach a lesson to a group, or come in for a “power hour” where parent and child play math games together.

If you live in the Snohomish, Washington area, we now offer after school enrichment programs at our new learning center in downtown Snohomish, as well as a free open-house for parents and their kids to come in and play math games and activities. We believe parent involvement in their children’s math education is a great way to foster a love and enjoyment for math, and to bring parents and children together!

Learn more about our math curriculum, after school enrichment and math tutoring programs.

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MANGO Math and the Common Core State Standards Initiative

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Mary Curry

MANGO Math’s manipulative-based learning approach conveys core math concepts through the use of hands-on materials in interactive situations that helps build comprehension and communication about mathematics, a key component of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Mango Math promotes hands on learningThe mission of the Common Core State Standards Initiative is to:

“provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.”

According to their website, The Common Core State Standards Initiative seeks to promote the following math practices:

  • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
  • Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
  • Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
  • Model with mathematics.
  • Use appropriate tools strategically.
  • Attend to precision.
  • Look for and make use of structure.
  • Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative establishes standards by grade-level from kindergarten through high school. Currently, 40 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards, and MANGO Math intends to look to these standards on an ongoing basis as we continue to refine and develop our curriculum.

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Elementary Algebra lesson on Interest

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Mary Curry

I have been working today on a lesson that deals with interest earned and the formula of I = prt.  I had thought of the idea of having different banks that provided different interest rates and different time constraints.  From there I quickly wanted to put my ideas of a game board together and then go back and figure out all the details.  With the game board I had originally thought that having different items that represented savings would be “cute” so I found a picture of a bank, a piggy bank, a mattress and a few other things.  In talking with a friend in Toronto, who happens to be a stock broker, he politely informed me that the mattress and piggy bank would represent 0% interest.   And although those choices in this economy may be good ones he didn’t think that the students would get the mathematical value of the lesson with 0% interest.  So the game board changed to represent things that people would put their money into in order to gain interest.

I am still working on all the parts of it but I think it should be a good game, somewhat like the Game of Life, with money earned off interest and rate determined by a roll of the dice.  Still thinking all of that through.

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Algebra Lessons – Cash Cab

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Mary Curry

I have been spending my holiday thinking about algebra, not something that most people do during their time off.  I am trying to come up with fun, hands-on lessons that will engage 12, 13, 14 year olds in algebraic thinking.

I have been surprised by the number of parents that will come into the store and state that their 3rd grader loves math and is doing well but their 7th or 8th grader is struggling with it.  Did these teenagers love math when they were in 3rd grade?

Third grade tends to be the tipping point on whether students like math or not.  Is it because it is often the beginning introduction of timed tests in multiplication and the start of division?  Is it because the algorithms and formulas start to take precedence over the conceptual development  and the right answer is better than a thought out answer.

Anyhow, I digress, I have been thinking about what connections I can make between the lessons I have already created for the younger grades and how to expand upon them for the upper grades.  I have a lesson in 2nd grade calledWorm Hole, students are to place worms of different lengths to try to go from the X to the hole, with the most amount of worms and the least amount of worms.   I am thinking about expanding that idea to Taxicab Geometry: A non-euclidean Excursion.   The same concepts of Worm Hole apply, that they are mapping out point A to point B but questions involving equidistant can be applied.  I am now wondering how to tie in the game show Cash Cab into this.

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Mango Math Video Overview on Youtube

Posted on November 18, 2010 by admin

MANGO Math founder Mary Curry recently presented an  overview of the MANGO Math curriculum to the Rainier Valley Rotary Club.   The Rotary is interested in working with MANGO math to encourage math literacy in local communities.

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Rocker Roller Coaster

Posted on November 9, 2010 by admin

#math At 10:00 AM, Ruby is the 212th person in line to ride the Rocker Roller Coaster. Each roller coaster train holds 36 people. A full train leaves every four minutes. If the first 36 people in line leave on the 10:01 train, what time will Ruby’s train leave?

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Math Game: 24

Posted on September 10, 2010 by admin

#math The game 24 is a great game to play when you only have a short amount of time, like in a car ride or at the end of the class day. Taking the numbers 5, 4, 4, 2, how would you add, subtract, multiply or divide them to get 24?

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