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Programs

St. Joan of Arc Catholic School

Indianapolis, IN
Grant: $16,994

The Mathematics Pentathlon will be the focus of the fourth and fifth grade sessions. Because children enjoy games and games relieve the tedium of drill we have included Pentathlon games as a key part of our program. This highly motivational program aligns with National and State Standards, strengthens basic concepts and skills, and also develops higher-level problem-solving abilities. The Mathematics Pentathlon is a program of interactive problem-solving games, supportive curricular and instructional activities, and evaluation and assessment instruments. A critical feature of the program is the linkage of arithmetic reasoning with geometric/spatial and logical/scientific thinking. These games and activities strengthen strategic thinking and develop a critical futuristic ability: active problem solving.

The second component of our program, Sports Connections, involves our middle school students. This component of the program will use technology to enhance students’ learning and also benefit them tomorrow. Because the world is changing at an ever-accelerating pace and traditional jobs are being replaced with technologically-oriented positions, we believe this is an essential skill to hone.

Sports Connections will involve extensive Internet research, supportive curricular activities, pre- and post-assessments as well as on-going evaluation. There is a strong emphasis on mathematical concepts including fractions, decimals, percents, proportions, measures of central tendency, probability and statistics. All of these are linked with our overall goal of improving problem solving skills.

Sports Connections will be explored in on-going curriculum units throughout the year. Mentors will meet with our students in bi-weekly forty-minute sessions involving football, basketball and baseball to enhance and apply the concepts being studied.