Sprints are a learning tool designed to help students internalize skills and concepts, while developing number sense.  Through simple to complex progressions and deliberate, sequenced practice, Sprints are designed to build student confidence and enthusiasm for mathematics.

Theory and Design

• A Ten-Stage Routine

• A Two-part Activity

• A Four-Quadrant Approach

• Three Categories of Sprints

• Other Uses

Frequently Asked Questions & Comments

• How do Sprints differ from other written fluency drills?

• Some Sprints are too hard for some of my students.  Should I give different Sprints to different students?

• How often should I collect Sprints?

• How do you deal with student anxiety while taking a Sprint?

• How often should I deliver Sprints?

• I don't deliver Sprints because I'm philosophically opposed to competition in the classroom.

• How long should each Sprint last?

• How many Sprints should I deliver during a school year?

Additional Literature

• The Math Gene by Keith Devlin

• Why Memorizing Stuff Can be Good for You by Natalie Wexler

• Fluency without Equivocation by Scott Baldridge, Ben McCarty, & Robin Ramos

• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

• The End of Ignorance by John Mighton

• Make it Stick by Peter Brown

• Mastery by Robert Greene

• Little Soldiers by Lenora Chu

• Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman

• Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ercisson & Robert Pool

• Mathematics vs. Theatrics, A Response to Dr. Jo Boaler by Bill Davidson

• Why Students Forget - and What You Can Do About it by Youki Terada

• How Teachers Can Make Learning Happen Based on The Science of Learning The Science of Math