Elementary school children are getting positive reinforcement in math skills through a unique program of college prep for kids with basketball.Math class gets a little more interesting when you take it to the gym, like figuring out free throw percentages.
“I’m learning how to do fractions and dividing to make it into fractions,” said 4th grader Seth Forest.
“So like you had to take a big number and a small number and you take the small number and put it on top and the bigger number on the bottom,” said 4th grader Tenique Dates.
And helping out the West Haven fourth graders were members of the University of New Haven Basketball team; intentionally missing a couple of shots to make the percentages harder. The program is called “class at the court” with players giving young kids a new way to look at school.
Fourth grader Tiara Wakat said it’s more fun learning on a basketball court.
The kids will be on campus all day, but the work on the basketball court is just a fraction of what they’ll be doing. From there they go learn some science, they’re going to watch a basketball game, and then they’re going to learn how to report news.
“So they’re going to write a news article when they get back to school, they’re going to do some fractions and decimals, and they’re going to get tours of our TV studios and our Henry Lee Institute,” said Ty Grace, UNH Women’s Basketball Coach.
The basketball team is doing this to get students thinking about college even when it’s many years away.
“It’s an opportunity for kids to start thinking about education past elementary school and high school, you know,” Grace said, “start talking about college and learning about how important education is.”
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