On Veteran's Day, the second-grade classes of Mrs. Kelly Keilbach, Mrs. Beth Miller, Mrs. Kelly Pratt, and Miss Cortney Weirs at Harrison Park Elementary (Penn-Trafford School District) kicked off a four-day ‘Place Value Boot Camp’. The math-focused activity honored our veterans while also honing the students’ place-value skills. Each second-grade classroom represented a branch of the armed forces, with students becoming ‘place value cadets’.
Students earned promotions in rank by completing tasks, games, and activities related to two and three-digit numbers. They worked in teams to complete "missions" that not only worked their minds but also their bodies, as they had some boot camp exercises to complete as well. The boot camp wrapped up the students' armed forces room transformation and their multi-digit place value unit.
"We had been looking for a way to get the students together - in a collaborative, yet fun way,” commented teacher Mrs. Pratt, who spearheaded the boot camp. “The kids have not had the same opportunities to work together as they have had in years past. Place Value Boot Camp gave them a fun four days of learning and teamwork."