What is with all this wizard stuff?
OMG I love this question! I use a teaching model called "gamification," which is just a fancy way of saying I use video game elements in my math class to improve student engagement and learning.
Because I love fantasy, adventure, and roleplaying games, I incorporate many of those elements into my classroom. This has been something I've done for years, and each year, the "game" updates. Students, therefore, aren't just coming to math class. They're playing the game of Math Crusade in which they take on the role of a "math mage" adventuring through the realms of "Mathyca" and learn some matheMAGICal skills on the way (get it?). Lessons are structured like training sessions where students are introduced to new mathemagical concepts, play around with these mathemagical ideas, and record findings and any notes I provide in their "spell book" (student notebook). These "mathemagical spells" are then used when they face the foes of Mathyca (discussed in more detail in the next question). There are all kinds of details I could go into, but essentially what you need to know is that most of the magical or wizardy terms used are tied to something related to math learning. Just like with any game, I provide students an "instruction manual" of sorts in which they can read about any of the components of Math Crusade and how they're tied to math class. These instruction manuals are accessible from students' Google Drive folders or on the class links on this website. |
What are the enemies/assessments?
Enemies, or assessments, are used to check for a certain level of understanding of math concepts. Each assessment will have at least one mathemagical concept (learning goal), though many will have multiple learning goals on the same assessment.
Each mathemagical concept receives its own score based on how well a student does on the questions associated with that concept. Mathemagical concepts will be assessed at three different times during a unit of study for three different levels of understanding. The different levels of assessments are as follows: Goblin Prince This type of assessment is checking for basic understanding of math concepts. Questions can include multiple choice, true/false, matching, recall, fill-in-the-blank, or simple calculations all done on IXL. Because these assessments do not require application skills such as justifying, explaining reasoning, or real-world problem-solving, these are usually the easiest level of assessments for math mages. Troll King This type of assessment is checking for proficient understanding of math concepts. Questions can include real-world problems, explaining through modeling, justifying their answers using estimation or other mathematical reasoning, or determining the reasonableness of already given solutions and are done on documents presented in Canvas modules. This is the level where students are showing depth of knowledge in math beyond memorizing facts or tricks. This is also the level at which students are expected to perform to meet Oklahoma Academic Standards for math, so it is important for students to prepare for these types of assessments by attempting to model, reason, justify, and explain their math work beyond just following instructions or doing basic calculations. Dragon Overlord It takes a lot of creativity and perseverance to take on a Dragon Overlord . Therefore, this type of assessment is checking for expert understanding. Students will take this type of assessment at the end of a realm/unit of study. The purpose of this assessment is for students to rise to the challenge of taking the grade-level content and seeing if they can figure out a non-routine set of problems that are above typical expectations. Types of problems will include multi-step real-world problems, abstract ideas that do not immediately give away what math is needed to solve them, or a paradoxical scenario in which students must determine the truth or reality of a mathematical idea where the answer can be misleading. Because of the intensity and difficulty of these problems, students get to work on them in groups and any XP earned for the learning goals is bonus (not required). |
Is there something to help me see what's being worked on in class?
Yes! Just like most of the 6th-grade teachers, I update the 6th-grade agenda calendar on a daily basis. Each day, it will show the name of the class, and clicking on it will bring up a detailed description of which realm and checkpoint the students are working on that day.
Students also have their Canvas account where you can have them show you the checkpoint maps. These checkpoint maps show where we've been and where we currently are in class. You can follow the link to the agenda calendar and even bookmark it for quick access later. It's a great tool for any students who also miss a class and want to keep up with the work! |
How can I see my child's current progress/grade ?
There are two (2) places you can go:
1. Infinite Campus will show your child's current and past scores based on the expect experience points (XP) earned. Only the most recent score counts as their active grade. Previous scores that no longer count will be flagged as "dropped". 2. Your child should have something called their "XP Report" that they can access through Canvas. Simply have your child log into their math page on Canvas, go to "Travel to Mathyca", click "Mathemagical Learning Reports", and have them show you their XP Report. It's A LOT more detailed than what you find on Infinite Campus. I've also created a video showing how to understand this more detailed report. You can also check out the Grading & Homework FAQ page! It's full of all sorts of information about the grading system and homework expectations in the 6th-grade math classes at Belle Isle. |
What if I still have questions about the class or all this "wizard math" stuff?
There are two places you can go!
You can check out the Instruction Manual that I provide the students. These documents cover pretty much all the components of the gamified math courses. You can also email me at [email protected] or call me at (405) 587-4935 and leave a message. |