Rules
Each week of the challenge, students will spend about 45 to 60 minutes on the Chasing Einstein Challenge as a part of their math class. Students will either work in groups or individually depending on what the classroom teacher decides. This is what Chasing Einstein will consist of during the 45-60 minutes:

  • Entire class will watch intro video from Dr. Smith on the challenges for the week (5 min)
  • Entire class will watch a video about the Math Practice standard for the week (4 min)
  • Students will watch individual Flipgrid videos from their DSU Math Mentor (3 min)
  • Students will work individually or in groups on the weekly math challenges (25-40 min)
  • Students will respond to their Math Mentor using Flipgrid (5 min)

Students will earn Einstein Points (EPs) for their attitude and effort during Chasing Einstein time. The classroom teachers will observe the students and fill out a scoring form each week for their students. The goal is to earn as many EPs as possible.
Earning Points
The team with the highest average of EPs at the end of the eight week challenge will be crowned the champion.

This is how students earn EPs each week:
  • Attitude​ & Effort - during Chasing Einstein the classroom teacher will be observing students for their attitude and effort. Students will earn more points for having a positive attitude and putting forth a lot of effort. The classroom teacher will fill out a scoring sheet at the end of each week based on students' attitude and effort.

This is how the DSU Math Mentors earn EPs each week:
  • In-Class Challenges - periodically the DSU Math Mentors will complete challenges during their K-8 Math Methods course. These challenges will involve either doing math or learning more about teaching. The challenges will be worth different amounts of EPs depending on complexity.
  • Online Math Program - the DSU Math Mentors will be working on an online math program such as Khan Academy each week. This program will be used to help the DSU Math Mentors brush up on their content knowledge as they get ready to be math teachers. The DSU Math Mentors will earn EPs for their work on this program.
Leaderboard
Each week the leaderboard will be updated with the team standings. The team at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the 8-week challenge will be crowned the champion. This is how the points are tabulated for each team.
  • 5th-7th grade students earn EPs for attitude & effort
  • DSU Math Mentors earn EPs for in-class challenges and online math program
  • All of the EPs earned by all team members, including the DSU Math Mentor, are added together and then divided by the number of people on the team. This score (the average) is the number displayed on the leaderboard.

Example:
  • Team: Number Ninjas
    • DSU Math Mentor, Ms. Jones earned 4,000 EPs
    • Student Johnny earned 900 EPs
    • Student Susie earned 600 EPs
    • Student Sally earned 900 EPs
    • Total EPs = 6,400
    • Average = 1,600 -- This is the number displayed on the leaderboard.