Math quests! How exciting does that sound?! To me, the words invoke visions of a thrilling journey through a wonderful land of math, with plenty of mysteries to solve and days to save!
As fantastic as that sounds, we’ll get to that in a minute. First, some background:
As a child, there was nothing more exciting to me than new installments in the “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series. I could read and reread those novels for hours on end! There’s just something so engaging about being the main character on a fantastic journey, being faced with difficult choices and realistic outcomes.
After all, how many opportunities does a child truly have to be in control of something? In a world of endless chores and homework, being able to choose your own adventure is certainly a much-needed break from the monotony!
Not too long ago, I was struck with that feeling of nostalgia for the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. Wanting to pass down my love for the series to my twin daughters, we took a family trip to the library and checked out a few novels.
I was thrilled to discover my daughters loved the series just as much as I did! Even my daughter who didn’t ever “have time” to read was struggling to put the book down. In fact, one of my girls mentioned she would have so much fun at school if everything was an adventure.
That’s when I realized: why can’t everything be an adventure?
And thus, the Math Quest series was born.
What is Math Quest?
My Math Quest series is a collection of digital units created to adhere to grade level standards while engaging students and creating the opportunity for choices and self-guided work. Much like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, readers will be placed in a number of scenarios, from enchanted forests to a carnival field trip. Along the way, they’re faced with a myriad of dilemmas meant to encourage critical thinking and help develop and reinforce math skills.
Readers are given three to four paths to choose from and must travel to each area to solve problems and collect clues. Only once all the clues are gathered can readers solve the overarching mystery and save the day!
On a more technical level, Math Quests are a resource set up in Google Slides’ Presentation Mode and is navigated using click-through links. Students never leave Google Slides; rather, all the links are in the form of “buttons” that lead students to another slide based on their answer.
Each Math Quest unit explores a specific standard by presenting students with a situational issue (e.g., “This room is too dark! You need to turn the lights on to search for clues!”) and a follow-up math problem to solve the issue at hand (e.g., “This light switch can only be activated by solving this math problem:”). This formula is repeated throughout the different areas students can explore until the main mystery is solved.
Why Use Math Quest?
More than anything, students thrive off engagement. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to ensure students are receiving the hands-on material they need through digital resources. Math Quests are an answer to this dilemma: despite being solely digital, students are provided with choices at every turn that keep them thinking and engaged as they discover what new mysteries await around every corner. When testing this product, students begged for more Math Quests. I’m positive yours will, too!
Of course, engagement means nothing if students aren’t learning. Thankfully, my Math Quest series provides leaps and bounds of learning! Not only does each unit explore a specific grade level standard, but students will also be practicing reading comprehension, reading fluency, technological skills, and so much more. Each Math Quest unit is thoroughly vetted to ensure its reading level matches the grade level of the standard being addressed. In addition, there’s no need to worry about students getting lost or discouraged along the way–incorrect answers are met with encouraging advice and tips for how to correctly solve the problem.
Your time is important, both in the classroom and out. Using resources that combine multiple areas of learning into one easy-to-use unit are essential to staying on track throughout the school year, and, hey–you can even free up some planning time while you’re at it!
Who knows? Choosing your own adventure in life might just lead you to these Math Quests!
