A Math Celebration
We’ve all heard our children ask the question, “When will I ever use this in the real world?” And honestly, it’s a great question! Research shows that relevant learning means effective learning. Relevant, meaningful activities that both engage students emotionally, connect with what they already know, and build curiosity to learn more increase their engagement and retention. Students need a personal connection to what they are learning to help make it stick! And what better way to make the study of geometry in math relevant than to have students consider how the bridges they pass over every day remain standing!
Our beloved Sensei, who is also a recognized architect and civil engineer, came to the 4th grade math class to explain how shapes are important when designing spaces and infrastructure . Students specifically dove into the world of triangles and learned how equilateral triangles are the most stable shapes. They looked at distribution of forces in different shapes and then analyzed the design of different truss bridges around the world. In the last class students were ready to test their own bridge’s design!
Math is coming alive!
