Bloomfield Hills Schools
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A Peek Into the Classroom: Math Down with Mr. Raines
A Peek Into the Classroom: Math Down with Mr. Raines
![A Sneak Peek insidtethe classroom]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675171542/bloomfieldhills/pd46aydheb45dfw7rkts/A-Sneak-Peek.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675171542/bloomfieldhills/pd46aydheb45dfw7rkts/A-Sneak-Peek.png","width":500}])
On a chilly Wednesday morning in November, grade 3 students in Mr. Raines’ class are arriving and settling in for the day at Lone Pine Elementary School. There is a cheerful vibe in the room as kids finish their morning work, chat with one another, and respond to attendance and lunch tallies. At 9:20 a.m. Mr. Raines announces that it’s time for a game of Math Down, and the class erupts with excitement.
Math Down is a gameshow-style competition designed to reinforce math facts. Mr. Raines explains that today’s teams will be those on the left side of the room vs. those on the right side, and the kids hop up to form two lines accordingly. Mr. Raines pulls out a stack of multiplication flashcards and takes his place at the front, near the projector.
Two students step forward, one from each team, and Mr. Raines displays “9 x 8” on the touchscreen display. One of them calls out, “seventy-two!” and Mr. Raines smiles. The winner returns to the back of the line, and the other sits down, out for this round. The chairs quickly fill with those who are “out,” but everyone remains eager to watch and support their teammates, happily practicing multiplication in the process. Eventually, the side with the last student standing is declared the winning team, and everyone asks to play again.
Despite the competition aspect, the game is low-stakes: it’s a safe space to make mistakes, and there is an air of playfulness in the room. Sometimes students know an answer but freeze in the moment, or accidentally blurt out the wrong word in a hurry, and Mr. Raines giggles along with them. If a question seems particularly tricky, he reminds the class afterwards of helpful strategies; for example, 6 x 12 is the same as 6 x 10 plus 6 x 2.
There is time for three rounds of Math Down that morning, although the kids wish they could play longer. “Sometimes the girls play ‘mini’ Math Down at recess,” explains Myah Terebelo as her friends nod in agreement, and others say they study math facts at home just so they can play better in the game. As the class gets ready to head to STEAM, Miguel Romero shares, “I like Mr. Raines because he lets us learn math in a fun way!”
