Maple Grove Dad Writes Football Math Book to Combat Summer Brain Drain
It’s only June, but a Maple Grove dad is hoping to take care of the summer slump with his interactive football-themed math workbooks.
His “Football Multiplication” book came out just a month ago. Author Brett Bernard said it’s a great way to keep kids’ minds busy and engaged.
“It is a fact that if kids don’t do any math over the summer, they are going to forget over two months of what they were taught the previous school year,” Bernard said.
He would know — he taught elementary school for 28 years. And he’s trying to help engagement by making math more like America’s favorite game.
He uses a sequence to build problems from simple to complex, and each number set references a football scoring play. For example: 2s are two-point conversions, while 6s are touchdowns. Bernard said this style keeps kids engaged.
“It brings them conceptual understanding, it relates it to other areas of math, and it brings in real-world applications,” Bernard explained.
The first page of author Brett Bernard’s “Football Multiplication” workbook. It opens with a pre-test, then moves on to worksheets, with a post-test afterwards.
Putting in the Work
It’s not just about sports — it’s about truly understanding. Facing multiple learning disabilities throughout his life made Bernard teach in a different way.
His methods break everything down, and answer the “why?” when it comes to math. To help adults work their kids through it, he also has a guide for teachers and parents.
“When I became a teacher, I was able to identify with the students who had difficulty understanding,” Bernard said. “It helped me explain to them and relate to them in a way that made sense.”
Bernard said school was tough, but he learned eventually that a big part of it was about putting in work.
How he learned that? By mastering the unicycle. He worked to become, and eventually became, a world champion unicycler. It was something he thought would be impossible until he began to put in the work in 4th grade.
“It brought a confidence to me and I thought: ‘I’m going to start showing up to school like this,'” Bernard recalled.
He said math was like that too. He brought that to his education, and then to his time as a teacher. He said it’s all about working a few minutes every day, especially for retention in the summer.
“Basically, doing the unseen, unglamorous work with no applause,” Bernard said. “You do those, and that way, you can shine in the light.”
Author Brett Bernard shows a piece of paper from the workbook, which describes how to do “Fourth Down Multiplication.”
He hopes his books bring that “aha!” moment to math for visual learners like himself. The football math theme is inspired by his son, and his love of football.
This isn’t the first time we’ve met Bernard. He released another book, “How to Talk Math,” back in 2016. The book took common math words and phrases and used creative approaches to teach kids the definition.
You can learn more about Bernard and check out his products on his website. Brett set up a special deal for CCX Media readers, which can be accessed through the QR code below.
