How to run your own math competition
With some help, you can set up a math competition for your students and maybe students from other schools! It's a lot of fun for the kids and contributes to their enjoyment of math. Here's how you do it:
  • Organize
    • Pick a date for the contest that doesn't conflict with other school activities. A Saturday is an excellent day of the week for this. A typical contest lasts about 4 hours. If you are planning to use school resources, make sure you have permission.
    • Recruit helpers. You're going to need at least 3 or 4 other parents or teachers to help coordinate activities, handle snacks and lunches, maintain order, score the quizzes and hand out prizes.
    • Publicize the contest. Put up flyers and get commitments from the kids and their parents to participate in your contest. Maybe go into the classrooms and explain the contest and hand out flyers.
    • Prizes. These can be almost anything. Calculators, tee shirts, hats, candy, games, etc. Make sure ALL participants get some kind of prize.

  • Prepare your contest materials
    A typical competition consists of:
    • (optional) a real-world problem (a 'problem solving' problem where the kids have to communicate their solution). Include this only if your students have done at least 1 of these kinds of problems. Choose a problem from the 'problem solving' page that:
      • your students have not done before
      • are at the level appropriate for them
      • uses math concepts they have been instructed in
        The last column in the problems list details the math concepts that the problem involves
        Make sure your students have covered these topics

    • a quiz for each of the 5 math categories (number sense, measurement, geometry, probability & statistics and algebra) Use the practice problem sets list to construct the list of problem sets for your competion. Those problem sets are graded by difficulty, allowing you to 'tailor' your competition to the skill level of your students Make sure there are no problems on any of the quizzes that cover subjects the kids haven't had yet
    • answer keys:
      • For your 5 quizzes that the scorers can easily refer to. Just copy the answers pages for each of the 5 quizzes that you select.
      • For the problem solving problem, just make copies of the problem's rubric. These are comprehensive and self-explanatory, but you may want to go over the rubric with the scorers to make sure they understand it. If you have any teachers, they are the most capable scorers for these problems.

  • Conduct your contest.
    Here is a typical timeline for a competition with these materials:
    • (20 min) Welcome + rules explanation, seating assignments, bathrooms, lunch, etc.
    • (40 min) 'Real World' Problem
    • (10 min) Break (Scorers score the quiz)
    • (15 min) Number Sense quiz
    • (10 min) Break (Scorers score the quiz)
    • (15 min) Measurement quiz
    • (40 min) Snack/Lunch Break (Scorers score the quiz)
    • (15 min) Geometry quiz
    • (10 min) Break (Scorers score the quiz)
    • (15 min) Probability and Statistics quiz
    • (10 min) Break (Scorers score the quiz)
    • (15 min) Algebra quiz
    • (10 min) Scoring break
    • (20 min) Awards (see below) and closing ceremony
    Notes:
    • Total competition time is about 4 hours
    • A good time to start your contest is about 10 am. That puts the break right at lunch
    • The reason you do the 'real world' problem first is that scoring it takes more time than the other subject-specific quizzes. The scoring is more subjective.
  • Suggested prize allocation:
    A final note:
    We did this in the Highline School District over a 5 year period. We only had a couple of schools participate in the first contest, but after that other schools heard about it and wanted to join in! We had as many as 8 schools participating later. Schools (and teachers) are motivated to include activities that promote learning, especially when all the 'leg work' is done by other people (you!).