Your teacher
Marcelo Ambrozio
Co-Founder & Lead Math Teacher
MBA · B.S. Applied Mathematics, Northwestern · 20 years coaching MIT, Harvard & Stanford candidates. Meet the team →
Grades 5–6 · Ages 10–12
SOMATH's math enrichment track for grades 5–6 — integers, fractions, ratios, intro algebraic thinking, the foundation for everything that follows.
Your teacher
Co-Founder & Lead Math Teacher
MBA · B.S. Applied Mathematics, Northwestern · 20 years coaching MIT, Harvard & Stanford candidates. Meet the team →
Enroll now
Pick the day that fits your week, then continue to secure payment. Your seat is held the moment your registration is paid.
Young Fermats - Pre-Algebra · Grades 5–6
Stripe secure checkout · $99 registration charged today · $489/month tuition begins one day before your first class.
Want to talk first? Call (646) 668-6151 or book a free 60-minute evaluation.
About the course
Young Fermats Pre-Algebra is the entry track of our middle-school program. We close the arithmetic gaps that quietly hold middle schoolers back — signed numbers, fractions, ratios, percent — and start the transition to algebraic thinking: variables, expressions, and one-step equations. Courses are rolling — a student can join at any meeting and continue into the next term without losing the thread.
A typical class
Every Young Fermats - Pre-Algebra class follows the same structure so students walk in knowing what to expect and walk out with a corrected mini-quiz in hand.
Warm-up with logic puzzles, math riddles, and short brain-teaser problems. The point is to switch the brain on without yet introducing today’s topic — students arrive at different focus levels and this 30-minute block evens the room.
First half of today’s topic. One pre-algebra topic per meeting — signed numbers, order of operations, variables and expressions, ratio/percent, or one-step equations. Concept-first: the instructor demonstrates one or two worked examples, then students try guided practice with the teacher walking the table.
A short break — water, stretch, a quick chat. Five minutes is enough to reset focus without losing the rhythm of the class.
Second half of the topic, focused on word problems, abstraction, and math applied to real situations — the place where rote knowledge turns into real understanding. Examples we use: Negative temperatures in a December weather report (signed numbers).; Computing a real 15% tip and total at a NYC restaurant.; Scaling a Google Maps screenshot to figure out actual walking distance..
A short timed mini-quiz on today’s topic, then we correct it together — question by question, out loud, with the right strategy spelled out for each item. Parents get the corrected paper at the end of the session so they know exactly where their child stands.
Syllabus arc
Courses are rolling — a student can join at any class and continue without losing the thread. Here’s the full topic arc:
Frequently asked
Every SOMATH class is capped at 6 students. That is the number that lets one teacher see every student's work in real time, correct silent mistakes before they become habits, and pace to the room instead of the average. Larger groups defeat the whole point of small-group teaching, so we hold the cap firmly.
In person at 226 W 79th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10024 — one block from the 79th Street 1 train and a short walk from the B and C at 81st Street. We do not offer online classes; the small-group model relies on shared whiteboard work and in-room feedback.
$99 one-time registration covers a placement test, a written diagnostic, and a personalized learning plan delivered within 48 hours. Workbooks, problem sets, and printed practice tests are included at no extra charge. The $99 registration is separate from monthly tuition.
Yes. Cancel anytime with 15 days written notice — no long-term contract. Up to 4 weeks of free pause per year to cover travel or family events, and one free make-up per month for a missed class (subject to available seats in another cohort).
Yes. Every new family starts with a free 60-minute evaluation in our classroom plus a written diagnostic delivered within 48 hours. There is no charge and no commitment — the diagnostic is yours to keep whether you enroll or not. Book at schoolofmath.us/evaluation or call (646) 668-6151.
Typically 6th or 7th grade. The course prepares students for Algebra 1 by building fluency with variables, expressions, linear equations, ratios and proportions, and negative-number arithmetic. Students who complete Pre-Algebra with confidence are ready for Algebra 1 in the following school year — whether at school or with us.