Math is for girls. That's my stance and I'm sticking to it as I raise my future engineers (fingers crossed). When girls are comfortable with numbers, they start to play and become imaginative with math. And that's where the fun begins.
It's not as easy as showing them the latest jobs report and telling them that the future is bright for girls who love numbers. Math needs to be a part of everyday life and a part of summer.
You've heard of the summer slide. Did you know most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months (click here for the full article). It's really scary and depressing to think about all that lost momentum.
And I know this is what my girls want to do this summer...
But what if we could make math (almost) as much fun as running through a sprinkler.
Here's what he have been trying. Extra workbooks and rewards to keep the math skills sharp. When a book is a complete, there's a reward. Current system...
It's pretty boring, I admit it. We've been looking for a better system. Something more individualized that travels well. This year we're trying TenMarks Summer Math Program. TenMarks (an Amazon company and recipient of the 2015 CODiE Award for Best Math Instructional Solution) is a FREE tablet-based program devised to keep students engaged over the summer.
Fun = and end to learning loss in math
We set goals. And there's a reward
Then my girls get down to business. You know your kids crave screen time. Why not use that to your advantage!
My daughter was eager to jump in and found the instructions easy to follow. She's working her way through the assessment in this photo.
We're going to be traveling a ton this summer, now I don't have to lug the workbooks along. I just need our iPad. As my girls work through their curriculum, they get hints and video lessons to refresh what they know while learning new material.
It's working. The girls give me no flack about TenMarks time. In fact, data from 2014 showed that the TenMarks Summer Math Program helped reverse summer learning loss for over 69% of participating students—in just 8 weeks.
How to use the program:
Take the assessment. The TenMarks Summer Math Program is designed for students completing grade 1 through Geometry and Algebra 2.
Start the program. The diagnostic assessment automatically creates a personalized summer curriculum, which reviews concepts from the previous year, and introduces concepts for the year ahead.
Plan in an hour of work a week. We break it down into three 20-minute sessions. Studies show, with one-hour of use per week, students tested at the beginning of the program and then again at the end of the program averaged 11% increase in scores. That's a heck of a lot better than going backwards! TIP: set the work schedule early in the summer and stick with it. Kids are creatures of routine.
Pick a fun reward. Our girls are crazy about LEGOs. That's what we set up as small rewards along the way. I like the equation work = reward. I don't like bribery!
And, it's free. Sign up now and you have until August 31, 2015 to use the program. The TenMarks Math for Students app is available for tablets on iOS, Android or Fire OS.
TenMarks believes that students learn best when they are individually engaged, nurtured, and motivated, their math programs have been used by millions of students across over 55,000 schools and over 12,000 districts. This summer we're trying something different. I'll report back in August and let you know how we progressed.
Compensation was provided by TenMarks via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of TenMarks or Momtrends.