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Math Competitions for Gifted Students

November 13, 2015 By Mom

Math Contests for KidsMany gifted children and teens have a natural aptitude in math, but many parents and teachers of high ability math learners find that it can be a challenge to keep these children and teens engaged and excited about math. Gifted math students who are often light years ahead of the standard curriculum can find themselves bored and increasingly disinterested in math as the years tick by. Elementary and Junior high school students are particularly at risk for developing a poor self perception of their learning abilities in math, so it’s critical for us to protect and nurture this fundamental academic and life skill.

Regardless of whether you are fortunate enough to be the teacher in a differentiated learning environment, a teacher of one or a handful of high ability learners, or a homeschooling parent — keeping math exciting and fun can be a challenge. So, when kids are academically and psychologically ready to “move on” in math, but the schools don’t offer acceleration or differentiated curriculum (as is often the case at the elementary level), what can parents and teachers do to keep these kids motivated?

Math Contests For Gifted Children

 

Math Kangaroo Competition

Teachers, parents, homeschoolers, and educators of gifted children can enhance the math curriculum, and engage kids on a new level by participating in fun math competitions. Gifted classrooms with children as young as 1st and 2nd grade, all the way up through high school have many options to compete nationally, and even internationally, with equally talented peers.

One key benefit of participation in national and international math contests is that kids from New York to Hong Kong to Ash Fork, Arizona can connect with global peers, and engage in the common pursuit of MATH!

Math Competitions for Elementary, Middle School, and High School

Following is a list of some of the top math contests in the United States and Internationally. Some are free, some have a fee. By no means is this an all-inclusive list, and there are many more regional competitions that are not listed here.

Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater. — Albert Einstein

The American Mathematics Competition (the AMC 8) is an exam for students in grades 8 and below, administered annually by the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) to students all over the United States. For more than 60 years, students across the country have taken up the challenge of America’s longest-running and most prestigious math contest, The American Mathematics Competition (AMC). Children as young as 8 years old have participated in this competition, and the Mathematical Association of America encourages all students in grades 6, 7, and 8 to participate in the AMC 8.

The American Mathematics Competition (the AMC 10/12) is an exam for high school students. A special purpose of the AMC 10/12 is to help identify those few students with truly exceptional mathematics talent. Students who are among the very best deserve some indication of how they stand relative to other students in the country and around the world.

The Noetic Learning Math Contest (NLMC) is a semiannual problem solving contest for elementary and middle school students (2nd – 6th grades). It’s a fun and interesting contest for way for parents and teachers of younger gifted children to help differentiate math and compete nationally with other high-achieving kids, and get national recognition. Kids’ names are listed on the website (or they can be listed anonymously), and making the “National Honor Roll” in math is a big achievement for elementary school kids! Gifted K-1 students can compete at the 2nd grade level. 

Math Kangaroo is an international math competition for children in grades 1-12 and takes place annually on the third Thursday in March. Winners can be featured on the website, win medals, gifts, and even academic scholarships! Every child gets a t-shirt, certificate of participation, and gift on test day. What a great way to encourage a love of math in all kids.

The USA Mathematical Talent Search is a free mathematics competition open to all United States middle and high school students. The USAMTS allows students a full month or more to work out their solutions. With permission, USAMTS participant’s names and addresses are provided to colleges, universities, and employers for recruitment purposes.

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a math competition for students enrolled in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. MATHCOUNTS is a live, in-person event that is held in all 50 states s well as U.S. territories and schools worldwide through the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department. Competitions take place in over 500 local chapters.

The Mathnasium TriMathalon is open to kids in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 across the United States and Canada. This free, fun-filled event allows elementary school kids to demonstrate their mathematical skills in a festive atmosphere and earn money for local schools, All participants receive a fun goody bag and the winners receive additional prizes.

The International Mathematical Olympiad Foundation runs is an international competition for high school students which has been running annually since 1959 and now has over 100 countries competing, including all members of the G20.

Math League offers a number of services focused on enhancing the quality and quantity of competitive mathematical opportunities available to students everywhere. A variety of programs are available for students in grades 3-12. 


Filed Under: Math, Portfolio, Websites For Gifted Kids Tagged With: math competition, math contest

5 Study Tips for Gifted Children

October 7, 2015 By Lucy

Organization

  1. Use a planner.  I always write ‘TEST DAY’ on the actual day of the test in my planner, and it also helps to use a color-coding method (red for due tomorrow, yellow for in a few days, green for a few weeks away.)
  2. Create a “study plan”. In your notebook write down when your tests are, what material they are on, and how long you want to study per day. I usually study for most classes 20 minutes a day, starting 3 days before a test.

Studying Habits

  1. Use different sources. I have found that it isn’t very useful to just read a textbook over and over again, you could use other materials such as online flashcards, mnemonic devices, and video and audio resources. Crash Course is a very good resource, and I also use a online site called Quizlet which can be used on the go!
  2. Put the information in your own words. Many textbooks and teachers use big words, so an easier way to understand it is to put it into shorter, commonsense words that are easier to remember.
  3. Go to a museum, visit a historical site, etc. If you see something in person, it is easier to ‘connect the dots’ and be able to understand the material better than you would just reading your notes.
Study Planner Gifted Kids
This is a page from my 7th grade planner. See how it is color coded?

Filed Under: Blog, Math, Portfolio, Reading and Writing, School Subjects, Science Tagged With: gifted, kids, study

Motivating Young Gifted Children Using Academic Competitions!

October 10, 2011 By Mom

I don’t see a lot published about competitiveness in gifted kids, nor do I hear it discussed often at the “gifted children seminars” that I so often attend – so I thought it warranted some attention here.

The gifted kids I know are extremely competitive (particularly academically, but also athletically) – so it makes sense to channel the competitiveness in healthy ways.  Curiously, I’ve found that this competitive drive has recently surfaced in Lily (Lucy’s 5 year old sister) when her Kindergarten class began participating in Raz Kids Reading. Completely and totally unprovoked by me, Lily is now determined to “beat” the other kids in the class and read more, do more, and test better. The great thing is that the Raz Kids has gotten her excited again about reading, now that there is a purpose (winning!)

Lucy’s teachers have been very involved in promoting various academic competitions in the classroom, locally, regionally, and even nationally.  It gives the classroom a sense of collective purpose and enables the kids to practice empathy (“I’m sorry you didn’t do well, next time!”) and support (“Way to go, that was an amazing project!”) for fellow classmates.   There are many ways that teachers and parents can help gifted children participate in these competitions, and here is a very short list of a few great competitions for younger gifted kids:

Noetic Math – A math competition designed for gifted children.  The kids in Lucy’s class live and die by this bi-annual math competition, offered to kids in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5.  Any teacher from a public school or a private school is encouraged  to register their students.

Noetic Math

Scripps National Spelling Bee – So many gifted kids are gifted spellers too.  Unfortunately Scripps doesn’t start until 8th grade but most school district have their own spelling bees starting around 3rd grade.  Good practice for Scripps!

Doodle for Google – I’m a huge Google fan.  Doodle for Google is SO awesome – I’ve loved Lucy’s drawings!  Open to K-12 students and is judged by grade level.  A couple of kids at Lucy’s school won the state level!

Kohl’s Cares Scholarship – Not really considered a “competition,” but open to kids between the ages of 6-18.  A great way to promote volunteering in younger children.  Lucy won a district level Kohl’s Cares Scholarship last year for volunteering in her community.

Scholastic Kids are Authors – Many gifted kids are fantastic writers because they are so creative and “out of the box” thinkers.  Kids Are Authors is an annual competition open to students in Grades K–8 in the United States and U.S. international schools and is designed to encourage students to use their reading, writing, and artistic skills.

Kids Science Challenge – The Kids’ Science Challenge is a FREE nationwide competition for 3rd to 6th graders to submit experiments and problems for SCIENTISTS and ENGINEERS to solve. Play science games, watch videos, and enter to win awesome prizes and trips!

Obviously, Hoagies is a terrific resource to find a more comprehensive list of these competitions but I wanted to highlight the academic competitions for our younger gifted kids!

Filed Under: Math, Parents Corner, Reading and Writing, School Subjects, Science, Websites For Gifted Kids

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