Year-Round Course Summary
Middle School Math Team participants prepare for mathematical competitions year-round. We practice problems from Math Olympiads, MATH COUNTS, and AMC math competitions.
Each week, students dive into mathematical challenges designed to test their perseverance, develop their critical thinking, and help them see the beauty of mathematics. They’ll work individually and in small groups to try and solve these problems.
Our experienced teacher will act as a guide and coach. In addition, students receive weekly homework assignment designed to prepare them for competition. As students tackle non-routine math problems, they’ll learn how and when to implement important problems solving strategies like working backwards, drawing diagrams, and making tables to search for patterns to name a few.
Course Requirements
Middle School Math Team is for 6th to 8th graders who enjoy math and want to join a community of kids with similar interests. They should be prepared to be challenged!
Course Content (Units are 4-6 weeks)
This course does not have a traditional syllabus. Instead, the teacher (coach) encourages students to tackle difficult problems each week while emphasizing fundamental math problem solving strategies including:
- Draw a picture
- Make an organized list or table
- Go to extremes
- Experiment and be creative
- Seek patterns and structure
- Solve a simpler problem
- Wishful thinking
- Guess, check, and revise
Students will attempt problems, discuss solutions, and analyze which strategies are the most efficient and effective.