Dows Lane Second Graders Submit Math Problems to National Contest

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January 15, 2025

Dows Lane Elementary School second graders in Mark Rogers’ class recently demonstrated perseverance and creativity as they tackled two- and three-digit numbers using open number lines. Building on their knowledge of the compensation strategy for subtraction, the students enhanced their skills and deepened their understanding of critical math concepts.

“Compensation is a strategy where you adjust one number in a calculation to make it easier to work with and then adjust another number in the opposite way to maintain the overall balance of the equation,” Rogers said. “An open number line is a blank number line with no pre-marked numbers and is a flexible tool for visualizing mathematical operations without being restricted to a fixed set of numbers. An open number line helps students see why compensation works.”

After mastering their math assignments, the Irvington students created their own math problems for submission to the 2025 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics K-12 student contest. They were challenged to create math problems, write clear and engaging explanations, and illustrate the problems and their solutions.

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“Creating math problems requires students to go beyond the requirements of the math instruction and can help them to analyze the underlying concepts and relationships within the math,” Rogers said. “Writing clear and concise math problems gives students practice in striving to effectively communicate mathematical ideas and reasoning to others.”

The lesson exemplifies the district’s Portrait of a Graduate, which fosters courageous learners, effective communicators, engaged citizens and self-aware individuals. Through collaborative conversations with their peers, the students honed their math skills and practiced articulating their reasoning – an essential step in becoming effective communicators.

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