Middle School Math Makeover

At Launch, we believe in a culture of continuous improvement. That’s why when a few of our middle school math teachers said our courses were too assignment heavy for the allotted class time, we immediately got to work. “While we worked to decrease the overall number of assignments, I would say we actually increased the rigor and focus on priority standards,” says Launch Math teacher Christie McElhinney. “We will have re-written 6th-8th grade math as well as Accelerated 7th grade math by the time the Fall 2022 semester starts.” 

Let it Flow

It was important to both Launch’s math teachers and digital course developers that the re-written courses had a flow. “Every unit has a pattern now,” says Launch math teacher Maxcy Dimmick. “Almost every day, students will start with an interactive engagement activity, and they’ll have a chance to practice their work before they actually complete an assignment. It’s a bit more like a day in the seated classroom in that way.” 

Pretty is as Pretty Does

“I’m really excited about the new look of the courses,” says Digital Developer Amy Jackson. The new courses utilize more colors, incorporate more photos, and include more visual instruction for students. “They’re very visually interesting now. They’re pretty.” 

Engagement for All

Launch utilizes Discovery Education for math courses, and the software provides multiple interactive activities that are built into the courses. “One that always stands out to me is the Sasquatch Snack Stand,” Maxcy says. In the activity, students will order snacks at different stations for different prices, trying to buy a certain amount of product for the best value. “Discovery Education truly does provide some great resources,” Maxcy says.

So Many Activities

In addition to Discovery Ed activities, there are optional interactive activities built into the curriculum. “One of my favorite units is on probability, where we built in some activities with cup flipping, tossing coins and playing Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Christie says. “I can’t tell you how many times I flipped a cup while working on that unit. I had so much fun!