Our final fraction club at Eastwood was a huge success, though it could have been better. http://www.duboisproject.com/fraction-club-as-recess-activity/

I am the author, choreographer, producer, director, technical director and one of the main actors.  I give myself an A in my role as an author and choreographer.  The concepts and sequencing worked.  Likewise, I feel that I did well as the producer.  The right people were there.  The mathletes were on time because I had arranged for a bus to bring them back from Prospect (a curve ball thrown at me less than 48 hours before the show).  My assistant coaches, the Langston students, were there because I had recruited them  both directly and through their guardians.  And I had arranged someone to help me drive them from Langston to Eastwood and given us a fifteen minute buffer.  It took 20 minutes to collect them from Langston, exceeding my buffer by five minutes.  The coaches, one HS student, one volunteer parent and three college students, were there because they generously volunteered their time.

I give myself a B as director.  I did not do a particularly good job of training the assistant coaches.  I did not explain that stripes were negative numbers.  I barely mentioned the Du Bois Principles.  We did a short dry run of both activities.  I did not fully train the assistant coaches about the FCC levels.  Two assistant coaches were promoting mathletes up one letter at a time (i.e. from 1C to 1D and 2A to 2B) instead of from one level to the next.  I could have noticed this and promoted these mathletes myself, but I failed to do so.  I did notice that a suspicious pattern, but I did not put it together.

I give myself a B as the technical director as well.  Our coaches did a terrific job setting everything up.  We had enough materials (in part because of some last minute work which I started and the coaches completed),  The canopy was important.  71F and sunny is hot, so the shade was useful.  However, I cut it too close, so I had to interrupt coaches from what they were doing to join in the training.  We could have used more table cloths and more fraction pieces.

I give myself a C+ in my acting role.  I did not explain Fractions on the Run well.  I did not show the mathletes what an empty circle was.  I did not have the right props to show them.  I did not explain that stripes were negative.  Nor did I explain where negative numbers were on the number line.  And, as i mentioned earlier, I did not notice that two assistant coaches were promoting mathletes up just one letter at a time instead of a full number at a time.




I should have brought more table cloths.  Some mathletes and coaches might have chosen to be in the sun.  I may also need more fraction circle pieces.  It would have been nice to have water there, although none of the mathletes asked for water.  A picture or two would have been nice.


The big TODO:

• Create a kit for teaching Fractions on the Run to new mathletes.  This kit should include:
• Cards with a filled in circle, an empty circle and a striped circle
• A super short number line complete with a few envelopes

This "lesson" should not last more than 150 seconds.  But it would help mathletes get off onto the right track.

And the big lesson for me is that I need to delegate more.  Being in charge of too many things leaves me flustered and unable to focus on the most important things.  

Handling the weather

We host Fraction Club outside as much as possible.  This means working in an uncontrolled environment.

When the weather is hot, we use look for shade, or create shade by putting up a canopy and limit the running.  We move the challenge card panels, sorting line and success boards a bit closer to the number line to reduce running in Fractions on the Run.  We encourage mathletes to enjoy Fraction Decoder Challenges, which require less running than FotR.  If we use the relay race concept, we keep the distance shorter, say 25 to 35 feet, to reduce the amount of running.  Or, we may skip that entirely in favor of more sedentary activities.  Hot is relative.  The first spring day that is 72F and sunny feels hot to some children.  By the middle of the summer, many children do fine at 80F.

When the weather is cold, we protect the mathletes from the wind and we increase the running.  We stick to Fractions on the Run (instead of switching them to Fraction Decoder Challenges which involve less running).  We emphasize Klondike Quest, we requires the most running.  We keep the distance involved in the mock relay race fairly large, say 50 to 60 feet.  We put up the canopy and at least two sides to protect them from the wind.  If possible, we put a picnic table under the canopy so that they don't have to sit on the cold (and often damp) ground.

When rain threatens, we avoid activities that could be destroyed by a bit of rain, especially Fractions on the Run, and make sure that we can get the children and the equipment under cover quickly.  Significant rain or a thunderstorm shuts us down, but neither spotty drizzle nor the mere threat of rain needs to.

Using these techniques, we have been able to offer Fraction Club outside 80% of the days after spring break in the spring and before fall break in the fall.  We can operate successfully in temperatures ranging from 50F to 80F.  Even 45F can be fine on a calm, sunny day in the spring.  Our materials have been proven to hold up to 30 MPH winds.

Being outside has multiple advantages.  Most children like to be outside. They can use outdoor voices without being scolded or making life unbearable for the coaches.  And, fundamentally when the weather is nice, I believe that children should spend as much time outside as possible.