A fun night learning math at Elgin Elementary School
One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is making the content interesting for students in an effort to keep them engaged. At Elgin Local Schools, the elementary school faculty resurrected a popular event this year designed to help students and their families have fun while learning mathematics.
Title I Math Aides Cathy Copeland and Marc Ahmay, both of whom are retired teachers, organized the Math Night event, which had been on hiatus for several years. Copeland said the event began at the former Elgin West Elementary School in La Rue and carried on for many years before it was sidelined due to unforeseen circumstances in the district and later the coronavirus pandemic. She said this year's Math Night was the first in about four or five years.
Copeland said Elgin borrowed the idea for the Math Night event from neighboring Wynford Local Schools in Crawford County.
"We went over and watched it and liked what we saw, so we came back and tweaked it to make it our own thing," said Copeland, who began teaching at Elgin Local Schools in 1976 and taught for 36 years before retiring in 2012. "Each year, we switch around what we do to keep it fresh for the kids."
Eighteen math stations were set up for the event and each child in attendance was given a card that is punched after they complete each game, Copeland said. For every five games they finished, the child's name was entered into a drawing for prizes given away throughout the evening. Plus, everyone attending the event was given free popcorn and a free snow cone, courtesy of Snowie of Upper Sandusky LLC.
"All of the games involved either money, time, basic math like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division," Copeland said. "These are just ways to do math. We also give each child and their parents a sheet with the games on it, so they can take it home and play the games at home. ... The parents and the kids can see how the games work and they can work together on the games. They might even find different ways to play the games.
"You know, we have the Let's Read 20 for literacy, but math just kind of gets left to its own. So, Math Night really gives the kids and their parents a fun and interesting way to learn."
The Elgin Middle School Chess Club helped at Math Night, setting up chess boards so students could learn the game. They even had a giant-size board set up, which was popular with kids in attendance. Teachers and other volunteers ran the games and handed out prizes, snow cones, and popcorn.
Elgin Elementary Principal Matt Holsinger said events like Math Night draw children and their families together, which has a positive effect on both the school district and the community.
"We have a great community here at Elgin," Holsinger said, taking a break from helping students play one of the many math games in the gymnasium. "We did a similar event in the fall called Literacy Night and we had well over 400 people attend that event. We had well over 400 RSVP cards for (Math Night), too. Ever since COVID, people have been a little bit leery of bringing crowds together, but opportunities like this give us a chance to interact with parents and kids in an academic way and it's fun."
The next academic event at Elgin Elementary School is Wax Museum, which is scheduled from 2:45 to 3:20 p.m. Thursday, April 6.
Elgin Local Schools is hosting Camp Invention, a program presented by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, June 5-9. This year's program, called "Wonder," will, according to the district website, give young innovators "an inspiring, action-packed summer adventure." For information, go the National Inventors Hall of Fame website www.invent.org. Click on "Educators" on the homepage and then click on "Find a Program." A link to Camp Invention is found on the "Find a Program" page.
Contact Elgin Elementary School at 740-382-1101, or go to the district website www.elginschools.org.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: A fun night learning math at Elgin Elementary School
