Throughout the year, second-grade teachers at Oak Ridge Elementary engage their students in creative math fact reviews to build fluency and confidence. This March, they introduced Math Fact Madness, a themed activity inspired by the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament. 

As part of the Math Fact Madness activity, each student colored their own basketball as a game tracker to follow their progress through a bracket-style math review. From the first round to the Final Four, students advance to the next round by successfully solving addition or subtraction facts.  

Each time a student scores a win by passing a math fact review, they check off that fact on their tracker and move their basketball icon forward on the classroom bracket. If they don’t advance on their first attempt, they get a shot at a buzzer beater. They can retake the challenge as they continue their journey through the bracket.  

The second-grade teachers stated that this slam dunk of a learning activity keeps students engaged, reinforces essential math skills, and encourages students to stay motivated while building essential math fluency. 

“We were excited to do this with our students, because basic facts are the foundation of students' math skills from kindergarten through college,” said Amber Maddox, a second-grade teacher at Oak Ridge. “Students have been so excited to play math fact madness and show off their fact skills, as well as having a new fun challenge where they are first competing not only with themselves but also with their peers in second grade.” 

The teachers saw this review activity as the perfect opportunity to support preparation for upcoming standardized assessments while building on the excitement of March Madness. Throughout the year, students have been working hard to improve their recall of basic addition and subtraction facts. Math Fact Madness adds a fun and engaging twist that motivates students to continue growing their skills in an exciting way. 

While the 2025 March Madness tournament is over, the Oak Ridge second graders are still going strong as they keep their bracket alive with fresh math challenges each week and plenty of enthusiasm to match. 

Keep up the good work, Tigers!