Math Olympiad for Elementary School Students
Math Olympiad for Elementary School Students is a CTY Online for kids in grade 5-6 with qualifying math scores on the SCAT and completion of grade 4 math. The course lasts 3 months and its course code is OL1.
Contents
- 1 Course Description
- 2 Topics
- 3 Topic 1: Drawing a Picture or Diagram
- 4 Topic 2: Using Deduction
- 5 Topic 3: Elementary Number Theory
- 6 Topic 4: Simplification
- 7 Topic 5: Finding a Pattern
- 8 Topic 6: Making a List
- 9 Topic 7: Making a Table
- 10 Topic 8: Using Number Operations
- 11 Topic 9: Working Backwards
- 12 Topic 10: Basic Geometry
- 13 Topic 11: Estimation and Elimination
Course Description
From the CTY Online catalog:
This Math Olympiad course is designed to teach the major strategies of problem solving, to foster mathematical creativity, and to stimulate enthusiasm and love for the types of problems that students encounter in competitive mathematics. Each week students explore a different math topic or problem-solving strategy in depth and practice non-routine contest problems. The web-based virtual classroom provides interactive experiences for students. Students and instructors meet weekly in the virtual classroom for problem solving, clarification of concepts, and group sessions.
Each topic covered in the course is independent of the other topics. One topic is taught a week on a continuous repeating basis. Students will not necessarily start with "Topic 1" in their first week of enrollment, but all topics will be covered in a 3-month enrollment. When all topics are covered, a student then takes the final exam.
Topics include:
- Drawing a Picture or Diagram
- Using Deduction
- Elementary Number Theory
- Simplification
- Finding a Pattern
- Making an Organized List
- Making a Table
- Using Number Operations
- Working Backwards
- Basic Geometry
- Estimation and Elimination
Topics
Topic 1: Drawing a Picture or Diagram
Both theoretical and applied problems will be used to show how a sketch helps to make sense of and model a problem.
Topic 2: Using Deduction
Students will apply principles of logic to solve classic riddles, such as those involving colored hats and identity of the truth-teller, in addition to non-routine math problems.
Topic 3: Elementary Number Theory
Prime numbers, factorization, greatest common factor, and least common multiple will be introduced and explored in ways that build stronger number sense.
Topic 4: Simplification
Students will learn techniques for decreasing the number and complexity of calculations for simplifying problems involving whole number operations, complex fractions, factorials, and exponents.
Topic 5: Finding a Pattern
Students will investigate patterns involving time, additive number sequences, and repeated multiplication.
Topic 6: Making a List
This topic expands on strategies for making lists for counting and arrangements, along with divisibility and remainders, laying a solid foundation for later work with more formal concepts in modular arithmetic, number theory and combinatorics.
Topic 7: Making a Table
Students use tables to compare unknown quantities in an organized way to test possible solutions, which serves as a basis for more algebraic methods in subsequent coursework.
Topic 8: Using Number Operations
Students will broaden their understanding of number operations and factors as they apply methods to solve for unknown digits and complete magic squares.
Topic 9: Working Backwards
This topic exposes students to various situations for which beginning at a given result and working backwards is the best strategy.
Topic 10: Basic Geometry
Students develop their ability to change visual perspective as they consider various approaches to non-routine area and perimeter problems.
Topic 11: Estimation and Elimination
Strong estimation skills are often required in making sense of problems and checking reasonableness of solutions. In this topic, students apply their number sense to make estimates as they narrow the number of possible solutions to problems involving exponents, divisibility, and remainders.
