Starting a Math Club
STEP 1: Set Goals
Decide the purpose of your math club.
Math Club in a Bag programs are designed to meet the following math club goals:
Math Club in a Bag programs are designed to meet the following math club goals:
- Every child should be challenged
- Increase & sustain interest in math
- Develop logic & problem-solving
- Support contest participants
- Provide opportunity to work on challenging math problems with others
- Introduce new problems/concepts
- Improve foundational skills
- Encourage/prepare for STEM
STEP 2: Establish a Budget
How much will you spend creating a math club program and for the materials?
Math Club in a Bag programs are complete programs with everything, except a coach and whiteboard, included. While teachers can coach, meeting plans are designed with a volunteer coach in mind. Yearly renewal rates are low and provide replacement materials making budgeting easy.
Math Club in a Bag programs are complete programs with everything, except a coach and whiteboard, included. While teachers can coach, meeting plans are designed with a volunteer coach in mind. Yearly renewal rates are low and provide replacement materials making budgeting easy.
STEP 3: Find a Coach
It can be a struggle finding someone to coach a yet to be developed math club. Even at the elementary level, most people feel they don’t have the math skills needed and they have no idea what to do.
Math Club in a Bag programs are designed by experienced math coaches to make coaching a math club easy. These features allow parents, retired community members, and high school students to be math coaches:
Math Club in a Bag programs are designed by experienced math coaches to make coaching a math club easy. These features allow parents, retired community members, and high school students to be math coaches:
- Easy to follow coach’s manual that goes through each meeting step-by-step.
- Online coach portal with videos that go through each meeting and explain each activity.
STEP 4: Decide Topics to Include
What will your math club program cover this year, next year, and the following year?
Math Club in a Bag programs include topics not covered in the classroom but which provide students the opportunity to apply skills they learn in math class to more complex ideas. This increases their experience and develops their foundational understanding, all while driving cognitive engagement.
While each grade is independent and does not rely on earlier grades being completed, meeting plans are organized to allow a linear progression of experience, both within each grade and grade-to-grade.
Math Club in a Bag programs include topics not covered in the classroom but which provide students the opportunity to apply skills they learn in math class to more complex ideas. This increases their experience and develops their foundational understanding, all while driving cognitive engagement.
While each grade is independent and does not rely on earlier grades being completed, meeting plans are organized to allow a linear progression of experience, both within each grade and grade-to-grade.
STEP 5: Organize & Plan
Organize and plan out each meeting.
Each Math Club in a Bag program includes 18 printed meeting plans, complete with warm up activity, step-by-step detailed topic instructions, activity/game/experience builder, and wrap up questions. Additionally, there is a Take Home Reinforcement page that goes with each meeting plan.
Each Math Club in a Bag program includes 18 printed meeting plans, complete with warm up activity, step-by-step detailed topic instructions, activity/game/experience builder, and wrap up questions. Additionally, there is a Take Home Reinforcement page that goes with each meeting plan.
STEP 6: Get Materials
Purchase materials needed or Scavenger hunt through classrooms before meetings. If you scavenger materials, make sure to return everything when done.
Each Math Club in a Bag program includes all the materials needed. From playing cards to dry erase markers to pencils. It’s all in the bag. You provide the coach and a large whiteboard (or chalk board) and we provide the rest!
Each Math Club in a Bag program includes all the materials needed. From playing cards to dry erase markers to pencils. It’s all in the bag. You provide the coach and a large whiteboard (or chalk board) and we provide the rest!