HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hosts on the Math Homework Hotline, a Hillsborough County Public Schools program broadcast on ABC Tampa Bay 28, centered an episode on sums and differences of rational numbers and worked live with callers on multi-step problems.

The program focused on the practical skills teachers expect in middle grades: adding and subtracting integers, fractions, mixed numbers and decimals; computing with absolute value; and converting between fraction and decimal forms. Canela, a host and instructor on the show, summarized the topic: "In case you're wondering at home what rational numbers are, is they are fractions and decimals that either terminate or repeat." The hosts then used a soccer-themed challenge and several classroom-style problems to illustrate procedures and common student errors.

Why this matters: callers and classroom teachers depend on the program for just-in-time instruction and examples they can use in class or for homework review. The show presented multiple solution strategies (e.g., converting to decimals, using least common denominators, and visual cues such as a scoreboard) and repeated the procedural rules students often need to memorize, including the “same sign, add and keep; different signs, subtract” rule for signed numbers.

In a live challenge problem, callers were asked to compute a player’s match score given these event values: scoring a goal = +2.5 points; assisting a goal = +1.75 points; yellow card = −1.2 points; missing a penalty = −2.5 points. A caller identified as Aratia, from Williamsville, gave the correct numeric result and the steps: "I got 6.55," she said, and explained she computed 2 goals × 2.5 = 5; 3 assists × 1.75 = 5.25; then subtracted 1.2 for the yellow card and 2.5 for the missed penalty to total 6.55.

The hosts also demonstrated absolute value as a measure of distance from zero, showing how total vertical movement can be the sum of absolute values (example: up 36 inches and down 18 inches gives total vertical movement 54 inches). They walked through fraction addition and subtraction with common denominators (for example, converting −1/4 + 2/3 to 5/12) and converted mixed numbers to improper fractions to perform combined addition/subtraction problems, including turning results into simplified fractions, improper fractions or decimals when requested.

The episode included repeated pedagogical cues intended for classroom use: circle the numbers, underline the question, box the action words, and then compute — a step-by-step technique the hosts called the "C-U-B" (circle, underline, box) method for word problems. Canela said the method helps students "break down word problems" and the hosts encouraged viewers to try equivalent strategies that make sense to them.

The show closed by reminding viewers the hotline phone lines are open for live help and that episodes and resources are available at mathhomeworkhotline.com. Maggie, a co-host, invited teachers and students to use the program’s exercises as preparatory review for quizzes and tests: "You can see those shows at any time to get reviews on your quizzes or those topics that you wanna get ready for your quizzes, your tests," she said.

Looking ahead, hosts noted upcoming episodes continuing the same skill strands and encouraged students to call in or use the online resources for follow-up practice.