At Larson Elementary School, in Wasilla, Alaska, Idita-Math is an important family event!

On February 1, the school kicked off a month-long event that is designed to helps students improve math skills through an Idita-Math project.  More than 100 students, their parents, and teachers attended the event, a ‘Family Game Night’ which partnered math practice and the theme of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The students at the school are involved in a month long Idita-Math project, too.   This project provides an incentive to practice math at home.  Students have individual goals.  Classrooms have goals.  Teachers know the result of meeting goals will be that students gain a better understanding of the basic math skills that they are being taught at school.

Kindergarten teacher, Sara Lamont, and Library Media Specialist, Wendy Stout organized the 2011 Idita Math school project which challenges students to complete math practice at home the month before the start of the Iditarod

How does this Idita-Math project work?

Students practice math at home according to this goal:

• Kindergarten and first-grade students: 10 minutes per night
• Second and  Third graders: for 15 minutes per night
• Fourth and Fifth graders: 20 minutes per night

Classrooms calculate the totals to meet weekly goals.

Classrooms move to ‘checkpoints’ along the school’s Iditarod Trail as they complete the goals.

Students meeting individual goals are entered into a drawing for prizes.

The school’s principal, Mrs. Bill, teachers, and parents agree!  The schools game night and the Idita Math project helps students practice computation skills in a challenging and inspirational way that sometimes has students practicing math without realizing they are practicing math.

The result is clear and research supports what has been observed: when students are involved in real time authentic learning and enjoy what they are doing, academic success is achieved!

Congratulations to Larson Elementary for their Idita Math project!

Students and teachers from Larson Elementary also stared in a special video produced by Iditarod’s Educational Partner, ExxonMobil.  This video demonstrates the role Iditarod plays in helping students achieve in math and science.

I Kid A Rod by Sara Lamont.