Students and parents are excited to dive into Marco the Great and the History of Numberville, with so much to explore it’s no wonder we are fielding so many questions! To help parents and students navigate Marco the Great as well as the digital content, we decided to put together this short overview that includes everything you need to know and more!
What is Marco the Great?
At its heart, Marco the Great is a fantastical tale of a young boy trying to navigate 6th grade. He encounters trouble at home, trouble with his friends, trouble at school, and of course the constant annoyance of his brilliant little sister.
While Marco the Great is fun to read, it is also filled to the brim with math concepts every young student needs to know. But this isn’t your normal classroom. Marco’s vivid imagination alongside his wacky tutor, a secret society, and the fact that numbers are everywhere, opens a rich new way for students to explore mathematics. Numberville is an entire society, where numbers have personalities, best friends, and enemies, where they like certain things and dislike others, where they live in villages and play games. The personification of numbers and mathematical concepts makes learning more accessible than ever! There’s no memorization; as students develop a deep and rich understanding of the concepts, they are building a strong and solid foundation for their future.
“The fun languages used to help kids re-enforce tricky concepts taught [my student] A LOT”
Where are the problems and solutions in the physical book?
Ahh! This is a question we have received a lot, and we kind of want to keep it a secret… Both the physical book and the digital content contain lots of secrets and hidden puzzles. As students figure these out, they find joy in the adventure! At the bottom of each page there are equations or expressions to solve and practice as you read along. The type of problems differs in each chapter as they cover what concepts are discussed. We encourage parents and students to try solving the first few, then see if you can find where the solutions are located (we’ll give you a hint: the solution to each problem is less than 9 inches away from each question).
What is the digital content?
I remember reading Alice and Wonderland and wanting to jump right into the incredible pages. The movies helped, but I still wasn’t a part of the story, I was a visitor, an onlooker. We decided to give our readers this surreal experience with Marco the Great.
At the end of Chapter 4, and throughout the remainder of the text, readers will find signs that point them to The Kryptografima. These include the course and unit readers can complete to practice the skills covered in the story.
Parents may navigate to Kryptografima.com and create their Parent Account. Next, head over to the Parent Portal and enroll your students *. Students will receive an email to set up their password and from there they can not only become a part of the story, they can build their own adventure within the school walls!
Students will need to register under a unique email account that differs from the parent account. This information is not shared or sold and is used only to maintain their settings, progress, and scores in the course.
There are 6 digital courses that align with the content in Marco the Great and the History of Numberville. For more on the content covered and alignment, check out our article: Navigating The Kryptografima.
Within each digital course is a wealth of material for students to enjoy. Each course is taught by a character in Marco’s world with their own style and personality. For example, Dr. McCann (professor of Behaviorism) is silly and quirky, he gets off topic from time to time but always includes fun comics and graphics to help solidify the ideas.
Every course includes digital games and activities, debriefs (these are checkpoints to make sure students have mastered the content), text, a practice final with solutions, and an epic quest. Upon completing each course, students are awarded a personalized certificate, unique to each professor.
Not only does The Kryptografima have the wonderful assortment of online courses, it also includes:
A virtual dorm room where students can brush up on their basic skills with games and plan their schedule or goals and track their accomplishments with a downloadable planner.
The All Saints Tribune – a newspaper that discusses what is happening in Marco’s world which includes comics, a crossword, and Kryptolex
The Sports section where students can become captain of their own Vinculum Games and play in a fantasy league (we recommend reading through Chapter 15 first!
The TribeFinder that allows students to take a personality quiz to determine which Numberfolk set they are most aligned to
Quigly Cantor’s Puzzler – a labyrinth of riddles and puzzles that only the strongest Saints will be able to escape!
We are constantly adding more to this fantastical universe. Subsequent editions to the Tribune will be released, giving a sneak peek into the next novel in the Marco the Great series – Quigly will offer fresh and exciting challenges, activities that are unique to each tribe are set to be released, and chances to participate in new forms of The Vinculum Games are all on the way! With The Kryptografima there is always more than what the eye can see... Hidden secrets are scattered throughout and only the most observant and dedicated students will find them all!
*The Kryptografima is free for individual students. If you are an educator or administrator interested in bringing Marco the Great to your class, please contact partner@mathbait.com to obtain a site license. With The Kryptografima educator edition, students can participate in group discussion forums, create a community with their tribes, and more!
Conclusion
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is the first book in a series aimed at helping students to not only excel in math but have a blast in the process. From the rich story to the fun and interactive games, learning has never been this interesting! But MathBait is so much more! We focus on a conceptual understanding that helps students to build a solid foundation and prepare them for not only their high school coursework, but the career marketplace of tomorrow. We use current research on pedagogy, best practices, and student learning to create an environment that maximizes transfer and minimizes distractions (did you notice the lack of ads on our site?). Pick up your copy of Marco the Great today and introduce your children to a whole new world of excitement and numbers… lots and lots of numbers!
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