Student of the Week: Kayla Simpson

 

Math is not an easy subject.

True mastery of the subject takes hard work.

Kayla Simpson, a 7^th Graders at Columbia Middle School has been putting in the neccesary time.

 

“Kayla is an over achiever in the 7th grade math class.  She keeps a 100 average in my class and is always assisting her peers when they need help and I can not immediately get to them,” said Krista Horn, 7^th and 8^th Grade Math Teacher at Columbia Middle Schools.

Horn noted that on an offered online Carnegie program Simpson has completed the entire 7th grade curriculum, the RTI for 8th grade (refresher material from 7th grade before moving to 8th grade curriculum) and is currently working on the 8th grade curriculum.

“Kayla has completed a total of 82 units and 1,800 math problems on this program.  Kayla is an outstanding student and has done an outstanding job in math class so far this year,” said Horn.

 

The Carnegie Learning Math online program provides research-based and engaging instruction to help all middle school students master math concepts and skills.  The instructional materials align to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and define what students should be able to know and do at each grade.  The online piece of the program is a self paced program designed to meet the needs of all students.

 

“I use the online piece of the program to reinforce what has been taught in the classroom.  My class uses this program at least once a week if not twice a week.

I see that is offered to high school and middle school classes. Carnegie is being used in 5th grade all the way up into high school level math classes,” said Horn

 

Students do well on this program because it breaks each problem down step by step.  This is good for the students to use as reinforcement because  math can be difficult for some and easy for others.

 

“Students are graded on how much effort they put into Carnegie.  They have a rubric which has how many sections they complete, how much time they put in on the program, and mastering the skills that they have to meet different standards to get the full credit of a 100 test score,” said Horn.

 

Horn said she like to make her classroom as engaging as possible.  Students often love to learn through songs and hands on activities.

“ I aim for all students to understand the objective that I am teaching before moving on. I use a lot of repetition in my classroom to help the students understand and learn the material not just memorize it.  The curriculum only gets harder every year in middle school because all the material is linked together in some way.  We tend to use the same type of objectives that the students learned in 6th grade when they get to 7th grade except we continue to build on to the concepts,” said Horn.

 

Simpson said without a doubt Math is her favorite subject in school.

 

The teachers that Simpson has over the years in math were

 

The teachers that Simpson has over the years in math were Mrs. Rollinson in 1st grade, Mrs. Rawlins for 2nd Grade, Mrs. Janet Griffin for 3rd grade, Mrs. Coltrain for 4th and 5th grade, Mrs. Bryan for 6th grade, and now Ms. Horn in 7th grade.
Simpson noted that other students catch on to how to solve Math problem when they see her in action.

“I try to tell them an easier way to solve the problem so they can understand it.  They notice that since I can learn it that way they can too,” said Simpson.

 

In addition to excelling in math, Simpson participates in the Student Council Advisory Club (SCA) and the Yearbook Club.

 

  Simpson lives in Alligator  and likes the laidback atmosphere in Tyrrell County.

“ I like that that it is quiet and you can do what you want without anyone getting in your way.  I also like that there is a Library here that you can go and read or check out books,” said Simpson.