Over the course of the year, we want students to become confident in their problem-solving abilities, understand how to communicate their thinking clearly, and begin to reason mathematically.  In order to facilitate the achievement of these goals, we provide many rich tasks that require planning, execution, and explanation above and beyond mere computation.

A child’s progress is assessed on an on-going basis.  These assessments indicate to us whether a child needs more time to learn a concept, needs to be more challenged, or needs to be taught the skill in a different, more effective way.

Two important goals of our math program are for children to be able to explain their thinking and to realize that there are different ways to approach and solve problems.

Resources utilized in mathematics:
  • enVision Math
  • Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative developed tasks (MARS tasks)
  • Problems of the Month developed by Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative

The SVMI component seeks to shift our learners towards a more 21st century approach to mathematics.  The Initiative is based on high performance expectations, ongoing professional development, examining student work, and improving math instruction.

Below are the standards of mathematical practice that drive our approach and methodology:
  1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
  2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
  3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
  4. Model with mathematics.
  5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
  6. Attend to precision.
  7. Look for and make use of structure.
  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Operations and Algebraic ThinkingTop of Page

  • Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division.
  • Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division.
  • Multiply and divide within 100.
  • Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic.

Number and Operations in Base TenTop of Page

  • Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

Number and Operations—FractionsTop of Page

  • Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.

Measurement and DataTop of Page

  • Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects.
  • Represent and interpret data.
  • Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.
  • Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter as an attribute of plane figures and distinguish between linear and area measures.

GeometryTop of Page

  • Reason with shapes and their attributes.

Useful Math Websites for additional practice: Top of Page

ixl http://www.ixl.com
Ken Ken Puzzles http://www.kenken.com/play_now
Mensa for Kids Brain puzzles and activities http://www.mensaforkids.org/play_template.cfm
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