Everyday Mathematics
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The K-6 Everyday Mathematics curriculum encourages teachers and students to go beyond simple arithmetic. The emphasis is to develop more meaning to math by integrating data gathering, analysis, probability, geometry, patterns and algebra. Mathematics becomes part of the ongoing classroom routines, outdoor play, and the spare transitional moments that occur every day. Highlights of the curriculum include: · Problem-solving about everyday situations · Linking past experience to new concepts · Sharing ideas through discussion · Developing concept readiness through hands-on activities and explorations · Cooperative learning through partner and small group activities · Increasing “fact-power” through games · Providing ongoing review and applications · Solving problems using multiple strategies · Using mathematics in daily classroom routines · Providing a variety of assessment opportunities · Enhancing home-school partnerships The authors of Everyday Mathematics believe that it is crucial to begin laying the groundwork for mathematical literacy at an earlier age than offered in traditional programs. Based on their own research, and other supporting research, the authors also firmly believe that children are capable of learning a great deal more than previously expected. For this reason the scope of the K-6 Everyday Mathematics curriculum includes the following mathematical strands: · Algebra and Uses of Variables · Data and Chance · Geometry and Spatial Sense · Measures and Measurement · Numeration and Order · Patterns, Functions and Sequences · Operations: Mental Arithmetic and Number Systems and Algorithms and Procedures · Reference Frames Everyday Mathematics is the elementary mathematical component of the Everyday Mathematics gives your child a wide range of mathematical experiences and ideas. We achieve this by integrating mathematics instruction into other curricular areas, like science, social studies, and literacy. Everyday Mathematics is written based on a continuous curriculum, meaning a specific concept is introduced from five to fifteen times in five different ways over a few year period, giving your child many opportunities to grasp the idea when developmentally ready to do so. For example, multiplication concepts are introduced in kindergarten and first grade with skip counting, in second grade through building arrays, and focused on in depth in third grade. Your child has many exposures to the concepts before mastery is expected. Your child is involved in sharing ideas through discussions. Children gain important mathematical insights by building on discoveries. This promotes good listening habits and a receptive attitude towards the ideas of others. Children are constantly talking about how they solved a problem and what they are thinking mathematically. By discussing their thoughts, they are clarifying their learning. Your child will be working cooperatively with classmates. Children are more enthused working together rather than working alone. They learn to work as a team, emphasizing cooperation rather than competition. They solve problems based on real life situations. The math classroom has changed dramatically. We can no longer teach only arithmetic skills. Our focus needs to be much broader to adapt to the 21st century. Your child is involved in activities focusing on numeration, counting, operations, relations, problem solving, mental arithmetic, data collection, geometry, measures, reference frames, money and rules and patterns.
Allows for cooperative learning with classmates Stresses the importance of basic facts in a variety of methods Acknowledges children’s experiences and intuitions about mathematics Provides problem-solving experiences in real-life contexts while allowing for various learning styles Promotes practice through meaningful activities and games Integrates content throughout the mathematics curriculum Provides a continuous curriculum, ensuring that children encounter and apply concepts over time, deepening mathematical understanding Helps students develop an excitement for math What Everyday Mathematics Does Not Do:
Teach by telling Encourage rote practice or memorization of rules in isolation Teach topics or strands in isolation Two key principles form the basis of Everyday Mathematics, include the following: 1. Mathematics means more when it is rooted in real-life problems and situations--children's mathematical knowledge should grow from their experience. 2. Children can learn more than is usually expected because they know more than they are given credit for. Experience gives children a rich store from which they can develop mathematical insight, reasoning, and creativity. Although lessons, activities, and experiences differ in each grade, an Everyday Mathematics lesson typically includes: Math Message Used as a lesson opener to provide a focus for the day. Explorations Hands-on group activities in which students investigate and discover mathematics through a variety of manipulative-based activities. Instruction and Discussion Teacher-facilitated dialog and modeling of important mathematics concepts and skills. Individual/Small-Group/Partner Activities Using Activity Books or Journals, students work through daily activities that reinforce mathematical understanding. Math Boxes Teacher-generated or reproducible handouts that contain short problems for students to practice and refine understanding of concepts. Math Boxes provide ongoing review and assessment. Fact Practice and Games Alternatives to traditional work sheets and pencil-and-paper drills, skill-based games ensure automaticity and mastery of basic skills and concepts. Minute Math® Provide mental-mathematics opportunities throughout transitional times during the day. Home Links® and Study Links® Short activities to be completed at home with help from a family member. Projects Cross-curricular, theme-based activities that can be interwoven throughout the school year. Resources
Listed below are some terms and types of activities your child uses in Everyday Mathematics. Minute Math*/5-Minute Math Minute Math is a convenient pocket-size book containing brief mental problem-solving activities and puzzles. Frames and Arrows Frames and Arrows, or chains, are diagrams that are used to represent number sequences--sets of numbers that are ordered according to a rule. These diagrams consist of frames connected to arrows to show the path for moving from one frame to another. Each frame contains a number in the sequence; each arrow represents a rule that determines what number goes in the next frame. Games Games furnish the opportunity for frequent practice that is necessary to attain mastery of a skill. Because children enjoy the games, the practice of a skill is less tedious. Besides building fact and operations skills, games reinforce other skills: calculator usage, money exchange and shopping, logic, geometric intuition, and probability and chance intuition. Games also reduce the need for worksheets, a form of practice that students perform in every subject. Because the numbers in most games are randomly generated, the games can be played over and over without repeating the same problems. Many games have variations suggested that allow players to progress from easy to more challenging versions. Math Boxes Math Boxes are a marvelous way to review material on a regular basis. They consist of a series of cells (three at the beginning of the early grades, six or more in the higher grades) containing brief review activities. 7,________ 6 _________ Math Message Many teachers begin the day with a morning mathematics message written on the board, overhead projector, or a piece of paper to be completed by the children as they arrive at school. The messages may consist of problems to solve, directions to follow, tasks to complete, notes to copy, sentences to complete or correct, or brief quizzes. Math Message Draw a triangle on a sheet of paper. Name-Collection Boxes This device is used to collect equivalent names for numbers. It offers a simple way for children to experience the powerful notion that numbers can be expressed in many different ways. A name-collection box is an open-top box with a label attached to it. The name on the label identifies the number whose names are collected in the box. The box shown is a "35 box," a name-collection box for the number 35. Names can introduce sums, differences, products, quotients, the results of combining several operations, words in English or another language, tally marks, arrays, Roman numerals, and so on. What's My Rule? This activity consists of a set of number pairs in which numbers in each pair are related to one another according to the same rule. This relationship can be represented by a "function machine" that is programmed to process numbers according to a rule. A number (input) is put into the machine and is transformed into a second number (output) through the application of the rule. The skills developed are a prerequisite for pre-algebra. What's My Rule? problems are usually displayed in table form, in which two of the three parts are known. The goal is to find the unknown part.
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