Awesomemath Academy Online Courses
Beginner: Problem Solving 1
This course is intended for students who are new to the joys of problem-solving and want to learn concepts and techniques beyond the standard school curriculum. This course will help students build a solid foundation for their first math competition and give them the fundamentals they need to learn math at the next level.

AwesomeMath uses the Zoom and Google Classrooms platform for online courses. Three days before the course starts we will send you a Zoom meeting ID and password along with a Google Classrom enrollment code.

Is this class for you? Please review this readiness guide before enrolling to ensure the class is the right fit.


Level Beginner
When Saturday
9:30am - 11:00am CST
or
Sunday
9:30am - 11:00am CST
Who Best suited for children from 4th grade to 7th grade. Exceptional 3rd graders and older kids lacking the fundamentals have been known to succeed in this class as well! Good for kids gearing up for the AMC 8 or those who do not have much (or any) experience in math competitions or who just love math.
Class Size Maximum 25 students, minimum of 6
Tuition $495
Schedule
Fall 2020 Semester:
Saturday
September: 12, 19, 26
October: 3, 17, 24, 31
November: 7, 14, 21
December: 5, 12
No classes: Oct 10, Nov 28, Dec 19
 
Sunday
September: 13, 20, 27
October: 4, 18, 25
November: 1, 8, 15, 22
December: 6, 13
No classes: Oct 11, Nov 29, Dec 20
 
Spring 2021 Semester:
Saturday
January: 9, 16, 23, 30
February: 6, 13, 20, 27
March: 20, 27
April: 10, 17
No classes: Mar 6, Mar 13, Apr 3
 
Sunday
January: 10, 17, 24, 31
February: 7, 14, 21, 28
March: 21, 28
April: 11, 18
No classes: Mar 7, Mar 14, Apr 4
Student Support If students have questions or concerns, they can discuss them with their instructor before and/or after class as well as by email. Emailed questions will be answered within 24 hours. Parents can help their students by guiding them towards constructing well thought out questions.
Class Structure 30-45 minute lesson where a new concept is taught through class discussion and example problems, followed by time for the students to work together on solving problems, ask questions, and receive guidance on using the best methods to solve the problems. Students will be assigned 2-3 problems per week as homework. To benefit from the class, a minimum of one hour a week outside of class should be spent on practicing the problems and concepts that were learned. However, students should not expect to achieve full mastery of the material by doing only the minimum effort. To get the absolute most out of the class, they should attempt more problems from the handout daily and seek advice during instructor office hours.
Curriculum The following is a list of topics to be covered over the course of a year in class (each math course is designed to be taken for a minimum of two semesters in order to cover the material/topics necessary to move up to the next level course) with different topics each semester. We cover 3 topics from each area: Algebra, Combinatorics, Geometry, and Number Theory. These topics may include:
Fall 2020 Semester:
  • Algebra: Common Factors (factoring), Arithmetic Sequences, Decimal Expansion
  • Combinatorics: Counting by Rule of Product, Counting by Choose Function, Counting by Casework
  • Geometry: Constructions and Counterexamples, Angle Chasing, Pythagorean Theorem
  • Number Theory: Prime Factorization, Factorials, Exponents
Spring 2021 Semester:
  • Algebra: Identities, Solving Equations, Absolute Value
  • Combinatorics: Counting Review, Probability, Game Theory
  • Geometry: Areas, Circles, Tangents
  • Number Theory: Digits, Divisibility, Remainders (Modulo)
Sample Problems Beginner (Level 1) Sample Problems
Suggested Resources (Optional) Math Leads for Mathletes, Volume 1
Math Leads for Mathletes, Volume 2
Additional Benefits Building foundational problem solving skills and practicing thinking through a problem, as well as learning new and interesting kinds of math.