Math is GR8 in 2008! - A Day at Orange County Math Field Day Southern Section

by Siyu Shen, Freshman, Northwood High School, Irvine

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - When most people think of elementary students, “loving math” is usually not the description that comes up. However, in the case of the 328 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders taking part in the 17th Orange County Math Field Day Southern Section, those two words were not all that far-fetched.

The 17th Orange Country Mathematics Field Day Southern Section, held at Capistrano Valley High School, began early in the morning on May 17, 2008. Math Field Day is a team competition for students from grade four to six. Schools participating can send one team of four from each grade level. The competition is completely voluntary and students happily devote hours of their time to practicing before the big day. Eighty-two teams from twenty-one different school districts participated in the event. There are five different events held throughout the day. All grade levels take part in Mathematical Reasoning, Statistics and Data Analysis, Number Sense, Measurement and Geometry, and Algebra and Functions. Though the tests all teams are the same, the results of each team are compared only with teams of the same grade level. This way, fourth graders are not compared to sixth graders or fifth graders and thus have an equal chance of receiving awards.

Math Field Day stresses one main concept—teamwork. In all written team events, teams must work on each problem together. If students are seen working on pages or problems individually, they are disqualified. The word “competition” should be used loosely; the focus of the day is not for teams to win and prove they are the best, but for them to cooperate and have fun in a subject they love. As a parent of a student from College Park said, “I’m pleased. They do a lot of math normally skipped and learn a lot. It’s not too competitive either, so they love it.”

In a world where students are becoming more and more driven to win so they can prove they are the best, an academic event like this is a rare occurrence. Proctors and teachers, while encouraging children to go beyond their normal boundaries and supplying difficult problems, emphasize enjoyment rather than competition. Students, while eager to win, care more about the joy than the medals. In the few years before they must enter middle and high school and start thinking of college, elementary school students have a chance to ease into the world of competition with an event they can enjoy. When a Woodbury student was asked what he was expecting from the event, his words were simple: “To have fun.”

What’s more is that this event is completely voluntary. Children choose to compete and take part in Math Field Day on their own accord. In order to prepare for the event, they often must sacrifice their lunch, break, or free time to practice. Yet, as one boy from Westpark said, “I don’t mind the lunches [spent practicing math]. It’s better than arguing over basketball at lunch.”

When watching the students throughout the day, I could tell that they truly did enjoy doing math. On the day of the competition, I was able to observe each event. The first two events were Math Reasoning and Statistics and Data Analysis. Both are team tests and each team gets a packet of problems which they need to solve. In both a fourth grade Math Reasoning classroom and a sixth grade Statistics and Data Analysis room.  I was startled by the focus they seemed to have. Instead of joking or goofing off, the students began the test as soon as the proctor told them to. They grouped around each other, offering different ideas. The conversations regarded math and only math. There was only one difference between the fourth and sixth graders—the volume. Whether it was from conscious effort or natural instinct after previous experience, the sixth graders made sure all their discussions were quiet. With the fourth graders, however, voices would get loud as groups got excited about a problem, answers heard on the other side of the room before teammates urged each other to shush. Then, after all grade levels finished Mathematical Reasoning and Statistics and Data Analysis, they got their first break.

During the break, it would make sense for the participants to relax and start joking or taking a short rest. Yet, this was not the scene I saw. Each school was discussing the test, thinking of ways they could have improved or different methods of solving certain problems. Even during a rest, math was still the central discussion! Students were itching to return and finish the rest of the events, and before long they all excitedly ran to their rooms.

The next event I watched was a fifth grade room in Measurement and Geometry. Their task was to construct the tallest free standing building possible using connect-its, and make sure it could hold a ping-pong ball at the top. In this room, conversations were anything but quiet. Connect-its were spread around and each group discussed enthusiastically, making constructions then taking them apart and making new ones. At the end, there were magnificent structures built, ones I never would have imagined possible. They had moving and rotating parts, and each one held a ping-pong ball at the top.

There was only one event that was partially individual—Number Sense. It included both mental math and estimation. For the mental math section, students had five seconds to see each of the fifty problems and could write down nothing besides the answer. The sixth graders in the room I saw worked with quiet concentration, attentive and quick in their calculations. No sounds were made as the students glanced up at each problem before hurriedly writing the answer and waiting for the next one. When the estimation section began, the newspapers covering the different objects flew off. Each team immediately began carefully observing the object, finally making a decision after much discussion.

After all the events were over, students had time to eat their lunch and relax before the awards assembly. As I approached the students, asking them how they felt, all had the same answer—relief. “I’m relieve it’s over, but I’m sad about not returning,” said one Stone Creek student. “But I’m going to do middle school math [events].” Many other sixth graders, who will not return next year, echoed this statement. This event is just the start of the many of the students’ future math lives.

The field day is not only a difficult event for the students; it is also a difficult event to organize and requires countless time and energy to make possible. Orange Country Math Council Representative Dave Chamberlain says that the organizers are willing to dedicate that time because of the kids who have worked so hard. “Students who may not be soccer kids have a chance here,” said Chamberlain. His words were echoed by many other teachers at the event, all of whom are deeply pleased with Math Field Day, which allows academically-inclined children to shine.

“Besides the challenge, it allows the children to work in teams and test their skills. They have the honor to represent their school,” said College Park teacher Mandy Mashburn.

Yes, each student is proud to represent his or her school. One student of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School also finds it an honor to represent her gender. Traditionally, math is regarded as a subject in which males excel in and females struggle in. However, one would hardly guess that after looking around the school. The ratio between boys and girls was almost even. I asked the student if she would prove common belief wrong. Her reply? “Probably.”

At the end of the competition, ninety medals were given. Some schools got many, while other schools got none. However, it was not medals that lingered in the thoughts of the students leaving. Returning students thought of doing better the next year, sixth graders were thinking of middle school events. It wasn’t the awards that were important—it was the math.

Marylou Miller, a member of the Orange County Mathematics Council, summed everything up perfectly. “Math is the blanket of the world. We can’t live without it.”