Halloween was just around the corner when Mrs. Colon (the DFMS algebra teacher) introduced “Bloody Math” to the Dobbs Ferry seventh grade students. Mrs. Colon loves Halloween, as you can probably tell if you have seen the decorations in her room. She decided to have some fun with the students, and make a up a story to go along with the math she was teaching. It’s a fun and mysterious way to get the students to do different types of math while also incorporating a story.
“Bloody Math” includes different aspects of geometry. The seventh grade is the only grade that has “Bloody Math” because it includes geometry concepts, which is part of the seventh grade curriculum. Bloody Math also had topics that would be covered on the students’ most recent test. So in addition to an interesting project, “Bloody Math” helps them to review and reinforce work on those topics. “I’ve been teaching in Dobbs Ferry Middle School since 2002 and I’m always looking for interesting ways to introduce math concepts.” said Colon. “Bloody Math” definitely is interesting and is enjoyed by many students.
Mrs. Colon says that, “One day I was sitting at my desk, making my lesson plans for the upcoming concepts when I casually looked up. Right before my eyes was the “dripping blood” decorations I put up around the room for Halloween. I remembered how that one decoration got the biggest reaction out of my students and I decided at that moment I was going to take advantage of that excitement.” So she did. And that’s when “Bloody Math” was born.
The spine-chilling story has the students trapped in Mrs. Colon’s room. Meanwhile, groups of zombies are eating the students and faculty. As the blood from the DFMS community drips down the walls of her room, the students must find out if they will survive. However, the only thing that can save them is cobwebs because they soak up the blood. Students have to find the volume of the room, the rate of the dripping blood, the surface area of the room, and calculate money. This will help students to see how much blood it takes to fill the room and about how long it will take. By doing this math they can also figure out how many packages of cobwebs are needed and how much it will cost. Finally, the students have to find out if they are able to survive this catastrophe by purchasing the right amount of cobwebs with the money they have. Who knew math could help people save themselves from dangers such as an outbreak of Zombies!
Besides doing the math part of “Bloody Math”, half of the student’s grade was to write a story relating to their math. “All of the students worked really hard in gathering the information and calculating the results,” said Colon, proud of what she has introduced to the kids. The students enjoyed being creative in their writing. Some stuck to the bloody math zombie theme, but others took a different approach by making up stories about some creepy Halloween related themes. “It’s a challenge,” says 7th grader Maya Donchez. Which is a statement which many of the students agree. But despite the challenging math, it’s an enjoyable project for everyone.
Overall, the students enjoyed “Bloody Math” and it made an impact on the way Mrs. Colon taught Algebra Fundamentals. “This is definitely something I will do again.” In fact, she’s already thinking about new project for next semester! It’s going to be hard to beat the spooky “Bloody Math”, especially because the spirits of the zombies will roam the school forever…