Weatherbee Students Conquer Decimals in Capture the Flag Math Game

Students in one Weatherbee Elementary classroom traded worksheets for strategy last week when the school's math coach turned a Unit 5 District Assessment review into a fast-paced game of Capture the Flag.

The stakes were sticky notes — colored flags posted around the room — but the skills on the line were real: decimal comparison, addition and subtraction, all slated to appear on an upcoming district assessment. Every student in the class had a reason to play hard.

Math coach Mrs. Proctor led the game in Mrs. Frisby's classroom, organizing students into small groups and handing each team a set of index cards loaded with math problems. Groups worked together to solve every question on their card, then brought their answers to Mrs. Proctor for review. A fully correct set earned the team a new card and the right to capture a flag from a rival group. One wrong answer meant going back to the drawing board before advancing.

The format pushed students to do more than just get the right answer. They had to check one another's work, agree on solutions and think strategically about which team's flag to target next — turning a standard review session into something closer to a math tournament.

Collaborative, game-based learning has gained traction in classrooms across St. Lucie County as teachers and coaches look for ways to build both content mastery and student engagement before high-stakes assessments. Sessions like this one give educators a real-time read on where students are struggling before a formal test locks in the results.

The energy in Mrs. Frisby's room was exactly what a review day is supposed to look like, according to school officials — students arguing strategy, double-checking decimals and genuinely invested in the outcome.

Parents whose children are preparing for the Unit 5 District Assessment can expect the material to focus on decimal place value, comparison and basic operations. Reviewing those concepts at home in the days ahead of the assessment could reinforce what students practiced during the game.

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