Hey all!
Below, I've attached a copy of an email I sent to our staff explaining exactly what our math fair will entail. I figure it will give you a pretty good idea of the direction we're heading. I'm hearing some real excitement about the math fair from the students and getting very positive buy-in from fellow colleagues as well.
Math%20Fair%20Email%20to%20Staff.docx
Keep in mind that Otterson is a kindergarten to grade 9 school, so our version of a math fair may look slightly different than some of yours, especially at the high school level. For us, the overarching idea is that the math fair is a celebration of mathematics, not a competition to find the "best" math fair project. This way, it becomes less about individual contributions and more about mathematics as a whole.
We're trying to encourage students to come up with project ideas in their classes, which is far easier with the older students. The younger elementary teachers will obviously have a more involved role in creating their class' contribution to the math fair. In junior high and the older elementary classes, we want the students to "own" the project. So far, they've really stepped up and are coming up with some great ideas!
Mike and I will happily document and share the process as we head closer to March 14! Kent mentioned he was interested in the idea of a Pi Day math fair and I know Ranvik is also running a math fair that day. We should consider sharing some video of our own schools with each other, so the kids can see how the idea looks at some of their fellow NORCAN schools.
Let me know what you think.
Regards,
Jesse
Comments
Hope you and your students had fun at your math fair. Would love to see what you and your students ended up doing :-)
I have run math fairs at several Edmonton schools in K-9 settings. My framework has been the SNAP math fair, which is one of the links you provided in your e-mail to staff. SNAP stands for: Student-centered, Non-competitive, All-inclusive and Problem-based. Here is the link to the SNAP Math Fair home page with many helpful links to run a math fair. If anyone is interested, I have PowerPoints for teachers and students along with photos of samples.
These math fairs have been amazingly successful and students run the entire event with teacher guidance and support. It is such a great celebration of mathematics and I find that the success that students experience spills over into other academic areas.
We work best under pressure, so we start the planning now. Personally I am a fan of the compass ("Passer").
Trying to round it up a little...
Nice Jesse, I think that is a great idea. Not sure if we have time to get ready for PI day but love the idea.