By Jill Ricker
Monday, May 19, 2003

Lynn Classical High School student Tom McMaster plays the linear graphics portion of The Algebra Game at Classical High last Thursday. (Item Photo/Owen O'Rourke)

It's not exactly Go Fish, but a new card game is teaching students at Classical High School about linear equations.

The cards, called The Algebra Game, were created by Salem educator Cathy Draper, who was seeking a new way to gauge her students' knowledge.

"Ten years ago, I wanted to develop a way to assess what kids know quicker," Draper said. "If kids could match things or not, then I would be able to determine what they knew or didn't know. Then it just grew and grew."

The game, which is being used across the United States and Canada, covers topics from algebra to trigonometry within 22 decks of cards. Each deck has a different focus, so students can use different decks as their knowledge base grows.

Classical currently has five decks, which were donated by Sovereign Bank, as part of Math Education Month in April.

"Many teachers had expressed an interest, but, because of cutbacks and budgets and so forth, they couldn't buy them," Draper said. "So I mentioned a sponsorship to local businesses, and approximately seven schools and businesses took advantage of it on the North Shore."

Math Department Head Elaine O'Malley said the cards have four levels, which teach equations, graphing and computation.

"It introduces the subjects slowly," she said. "It's a great introduction on how you put together algebra, graphing and computations. It's a great way to get the concepts across."

Draper said, "The students match five cards together to find out everything they need to know about that particular area, whether it be graphing, equations, slope, point pairs or Y-intercept."

O'Malley said she became interested in the game because it offers a different way of teaching.

"We're always looking for different ways of getting concepts across," she said. "This is a hands-on manipulative and an interactive visual aid, so they can actually feel the cards and match them up. They get to learn it in a fun, easy way."

Draper said her goal in creating the game was to take information from a book and make it interchangeable.

"They study the same pieces (that are found in textbooks), but it's kind of hard to mix them around because they're written in a book," she said. "You can use it as reinforcement or while teaching."

O'Malley said the game can be used with single students or groups of students, and she expects it will work well with students who have different styles of learning.

"For those students who have problems with computation, this sort of takes that out of the picture," she said. "It's a great way to start off students. We're excited."

Draper said the game has proven to be successful with all students.

"When field tested, it worked with all levels and all abilities," she said. "It works very well with all of them. The really bright kids see the connections faster. For the other kids, they are intrigued because, for some reason, they didn't understand it before."

Draper said math is not the only subject The Algebra Game focuses on.

"Literacy," she said. "There is a lot of opportunity to write and describe what you see."

O'Malley expects to begin using The Algebra Game regularly at the start of the school year in September.