What happens when students don’t just learn math—but experience it?
At Gilroy Prep, we just completed a classroom pilot that brought math off the page and into motion, with results that surprised even us. In a single school day, 30 sixth-grade students went from 49% mastery on a pretest to 95.7% mastery on the post-test—all while playing a game.
And the game… was math.
⏳ AI as a Time Machine
We often talk about AI as a disruptor. But in this case, AI became a time machine—giving teachers back time to notice, adapt, and act. In less than an hour, we were able to:
Diagnose the conceptual gap
Generate a fully aligned, movement-based lesson
Scaffold supports for English Learners
Launch an experience that redefined what a "reteach" could be
This isn’t AI replacing teachers—it’s AI removing the noise so educators can amplify what matters: human connection and peer-driven learning.
📉 Identifying the Gap
The standard we focused on—CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A.2—asks students to understand that data sets have a distribution described by center, spread, and shape. We targeted the concept of range, a deceptively simple measure that often reveals deep misconceptions.
The pretest showed just 49% of students could calculate range correctly. But more than that—it showed students didn’t yet have a felt sense of what range means.
So we tried something new.
🏃♂️ Enter: The Range Game
With the help of our PE team and an AI-powered lesson builder (MATH MOVES) I developed, we launched The Range Game—an embodied, ELD-supported activity that made the math concept come alive.
Here’s what it looked like:
Students lined up by height, from shortest to tallest
They measured the difference—the "spread"—in inches
They ran multiple rounds with different groups:
After each round, they calculated the range and explained the reasoning using sentence frames and partner talk
By using their own bodies to represent data, students didn't just compute the math—they understood it.
🤖 What Made This Work
AI worked behind the scenes to:
Analyze assessment data in real time
Pinpoint the conceptual misunderstanding
Suggest a standards-aligned lesson connected to physical activity
Generate ELD scaffolds to make the learning accessible for all
But here’s the truth: AI wasn’t the teacher. The students were. Peer conversations. Physical movement. Shared aha moments. Those were the real engines of learning.
✅ The Results
By the end of the day:
95.7% of students demonstrated mastery on the post-assessment
Students could verbally explain how and why range changes
Teachers reported increased engagement and clarity—especially among English Learners
But the biggest shift? 🧠 Confidence 🗣️ Collaboration 💬 Conversation ✨ And how the room felt—alive with learning.
🚀 What’s Next?
This was just one pilot—but it's a powerful proof of concept.
When:
Data is timely
AI is used to empower, not replace
Learning is felt, not just tested
We can close achievement gaps faster, more joyfully, and with more humanity.
We’re excited to continue scaling the Math Moves model across grades and standards—bringing movement, conversation, and cognition together with smart tools that free teachers to do what they do best.
Because math shouldn’t just live in a worksheet.
It should move.
Want to see the lesson plan, infographic, or visuals we used? Drop a comment or message—happy to share.