What Is SUNSHINE MATH?

 

 Wednesday, November 19 will be the last week Sunshine Math problems will be posted for the first half of the school year.  Wednesday, November 19 will mark Week 12 in the program.  Students are encouraged to "catch-up" and work problems from Weeks 1-12 from November 19-January 14.  Sunshine Math will resume and Week 13 problems will be posted on Wednesday, January 14.  If you have any questions about incomplete problems please contact Amy Jackson at ajackson@brightschool.com.

STUDENTS MUST WRITE FIRST AND LAST NAME ON PROBLEMS EACH WEEK TO RECEIVE POINTS AND HAVE PAPER RETURNED!  PLEASE STAPLE PAGES AT HOME!   THANK YOU!

SUNSHINE MATH is an OPTIONAL weekly program developed by the State of Florida to give students exposure to meaningful problem-solving situations and strategies.  The KEC sponsors and administers SUNSHINE MATH, and participation is optional. 

Advantages Of Participation:

·         SSM presents concepts that are in addition to those discussed, practiced, and learned in the classroom.

·         Completion of most SSM problems requires practice in basic and more advance mathematical problem-solving strategies.

·         Students who solve SSM problems must activate higher-order thinking skills.

Are You Interested?

·         Parents (or students) download weekly SUNSHINE MATH problems from the Bright School website.   To download problems, simply click on the planet located in the upper left hand corner of this webpage. 

·         New problems are posted each Wednesday from September 4-April 29.  Those problems should be turned into the SUNSHINEMATH BASKETS located in the main office and on the reception desk in the ECC.

·         SSM uses planet names to identify sets of problems.  The planet names translate as follows:  Kindergarten – Mercury; First Grade – Venus; Second Grade – Earth; Third Grade – Mars; Fourth Grade – Jupiter; Fifth Grade – Saturn.

·         Students, with counsel from parents, teachers, and/or the KEC, select the “planet” that provides the appropriate level of difficulty and challenge.  The KEC recommends that students choose the SSM level that corresponds to their current grade level for the following reasons:

--The problems included in Mercury, Venus, and Earth are designed to give students confidence and a sense of independence in problem solving, therefore they are typically not too mathematically difficult for students.

--Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be challenging, even for students to whom math comes easily.

-- It may be appropriate for some children to solve problems designed for a level above or below the student’s current grade.  The KEC staff is happy to help you and your student choose the appropriate level; however, there should be no stigma in the mind of parent or child if the student decides to work in the level below his/her current grade.  Also, the decision to place a student in a level above the current grade should be done only if the problems designed for the student’s current level are not providing appropriate challenge for the student.

--REMEMBER:  Students learn best when given appropriate challenge that does not result in frustration.     

·         Weekly SSM problems are assigned “stars” to designate the degree of difficulty of the problems.  The number of points for correct answers coincides with the number of stars assigned to each problem. 

·         Points will be tracked and posted on the bulletin board outside of the KEC. While some students can be motivated by competition and seeing their points displayed, the ultimate goal for participating in SUNSHINE MATH is becoming a better problem-solver. We want all students to be proud of their commitment to SUNSHINE MATH.  

Students may join the program at any time during the school year. We are aware that there will be some weeks when a student or family just cannot get to it. The KEC encourages students to do as much as they can whenever they can. The goal is for students to enjoy and learn from participation in this enrichment activity