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Middle School Assembly · Grades 5–8 · 40–45 Minutes
The assembly where the kid who hates math puts their hand up.
- Grades 5–8
- 40–45 minutes
- No prep for your staff
Probability, statistics, cryptography and the actual odds on a lottery ticket — delivered as things that look impossible until you know the math underneath.
Check my dates See what happens in the room
Or call me directly — (716) 940-8963. That’s my cell.
The problem
Somewhere around sixth grade, math stops being neutral.
You’ve watched it happen. A student who was fine with numbers in fourth grade arrives in middle school having quietly decided they are “not a math person,” and from there it becomes a fact about who they are rather than a subject they’re learning.
That belief is remarkably hard to argue a twelve-year-old out of. You can’t reason someone out of an identity.
But you can interrupt it. Show them something genuinely impossible, let them work out that the secret is a piece of math they could learn in an afternoon, and hand them that piece — and for a moment math stops being the thing they’re bad at and becomes the thing that gave them a superpower.
That’s the whole design of this assembly. Not “math is fun, everybody!” shouted from a stage. Something closer to: here is a trick that will fool your parents tonight, and the only reason it works is a rule about numbers.
The students who need this most are the ones sitting with their arms folded. Those are the ones I’m aiming at.
What happens
What happens in the room
“Math-A-Magic” runs 40–45 minutes and moves through real middle-grades content, every piece of it attached to something the students watch happen.
- Probability — demonstrated with an outcome the room is certain can’t be predicted, right up until it is
- The real odds on a lottery ticket — the number is so large it does the arguing for me, and it lands hard at this age
- Statistics and percentages — made visible rather than described
- Mind-reading stunts they can take home — each one running on a rule about numbers that they get to keep
- An easy method for the first digits of Pi — and a gym full of students who can suddenly all do it
- Cryptography — codes made and broken live, which is usually the moment the arms unfold
Nobody ever decided they were bad at math while they were busy fooling their friends with it.
Grades 5–8 · 40–45 minutes · real content, not a math-themed magic show
For your math department
What your teachers get out of it
An assembly is forty-five minutes. What makes it worth the money is what happens in the classrooms afterwards.
A shared reference
For the rest of the year your staff can say “remember the lottery odds?” and the whole grade knows what they mean.
Something to hand back
Students leave able to do two or three of the stunts. That’s practice they choose to do at the dinner table.
The “when will I use this” question
Answered for forty-five minutes straight, by demonstration, without a single adult saying the words.
Follow-up materials
Sent ahead so teachers can carry it into a lesson rather than watch it evaporate by Friday.
Zero prep
Nothing for your staff to organize, print, or supervise. I arrive, I set up, I go.
Works for a math night too
Plenty of schools run it as an evening family event as well as a daytime assembly. Ask me about doing both in one visit.
If your building is K–8
One visit. Two shows. The whole building.
You don’t have to choose which half of the school gets the assembly, and you don’t have to bring me back a second time. I run back-to-back programs in one visit, each written for its own age group.
Grades K–4
Goofy Kooky Math
The elementary math program, pitched for the little ones.
Grades 5–8
Math-A-Magic
This program — real middle-grades content, aimed at the folded arms.
Booked together, the pair costs a good deal less than two separate visits — one drive, one setup. Ask me for the two-show number when you get in touch.
Middle school building only? “Math-A-Magic” books perfectly well on its own. · See the elementary version →
Get the details
Send me your dates and I’ll send you everything.
Fill this in and I’ll email you the full information for “Math-A-Magic” — and for the K–4 math program too, if you’re a K–8 building. I answer these myself, usually the same day.
What lands in your inbox
- The full program outline for “Math-A-Magic,” grades 5–8
- Which math concepts turn up, and where they meet your curriculum
- How the day runs — I arrive, set up, and I’m gone before the buses
- A quote for your building, based on your date and where you are
- The K–8 two-show day, if you want the whole school covered in one visit
Enough to print, forward, and walk into your next committee meeting.
Would rather just talk it through? Call or text (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell phone.
Proof
What schools say about Cris Johnson’s assemblies
Middle schools and high schools first. The rest are from assemblies across grade levels — central schools, K–8 buildings and elementary.
“Cris is really great with the kids… He is both entertaining and informative. We have had him two years in a row and the kids really enjoy Cris’ programs. Outstanding!”
Carm ProctorPrincipal
Jefferson Middle School, Jamestown, NY
“Great control of the audience with an appropriate message!”
Dan BraceyPrincipal
Washington Middle School, Jamestown, NY
“It was totally entertaining and fun to watch. The kids were really involved and they loved it. It was really fun to see their personalities come out and their creativity. I would LOVE to recommend this program to other schools.”
Liz BannerTeacher
Brockport High School, Brockport, NY
“Swiftwater Elementary Center can’t say enough about Cris Johnson. His math show was SUPER! His ability to automatically connect with students was phenomenal. Our school is a building with over 1000 students. Cris held all of our students’ attention from beginning to end. Fun and learning was had by all!”
Jennifer GillilandMath Teacher
Swiftwater Elementary Center, Swiftwater, PA
“Cris is very energetic and funny. The kids and the teachers were very impressed. They LOVED it! One of our sixth grade teachers said it was the BEST assembly presented at this school in 20 years!”
Amy MckentySchool Librarian
St. John of Rochester School, Fairport, NY
“It was phenomenal.”
Scott MoorerPrincipal
Chestnut Intermediate School, North Olmsted, OH
“Excellent.”
Holly BrinkClass Advisor
Sherman Central School, Sherman, NY
“Cris did a great job with our assemblies! His presentation was developmentally appropriate and his message was delivered in a fun way. Outstanding message!”
Bonnie SmithPrincipal
West Valley Central School, West Valley, NY
“It was engaging, informative, extremely well done and a lot of fun. He kept the kids attention for 40 minutes… No easy task! I laughed as hard as the kids!”
Donna BensteadTeacher
Springville Elementary, Springville, NY
“Wellness Day was a huge success and we are so grateful for your part in it. From the opening session through the afternoon groups our students were involved and in tune with the objectives of the day. We received a lot of positives in response to your involvement. Thank you for sharing your talents and for your interest and support of the youth of today.”
Linda HathawayWellness Committee
Geneseo Central School District, Geneseo, NY
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Easy to host
I make this the easiest thing on your calendar.
- I bring everything. Professional sound system included, at no extra charge, however big your gym is.
- Your space is fine. Gym, cafeteria, auditorium, cafetorium, stage or floor level.
- Fast set-up, and I work around your bell schedule rather than the other way around.
- Fully insured, with a certificate sent ahead if your district needs one.
- Follow-up materials for teachers so it turns into classroom time, not just an afternoon off.
- I hit 45 minutes. Schools plan around that number, so I treat it as a promise.
The no-risk part
If your students aren’t amazed, you don’t pay — and I donate $500 to your PTA or PTO.
In over 20 years of full-time performing, not one school has ever taken me up on it.
Book it
The good dates go early.
Math assemblies bunch up around state testing season and around family math nights, and those weeks fill first. The schools that get their first-choice date are the ones that reach out well before everybody else starts looking.
Call or text me at (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell phone — or email [email protected]. You’ll be talking to me, not an agency.
Middle School Math Assemblies That Click for Grades 5–8
Math anxiety is real in the middle grades, and this assembly turns it into interest by showing students the real-world connections that make numbers finally click. Grades 5–8 across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey get energy, relevance, and a renewed reason to care about math. Book a date that fits your school year.