Curriculum
Content Area: Mathematics

What Parents Can Do to Help

• Let children know through words and actions that mathematics is all around us and it is extremely important in our lives.  Though there may be some confusion in the learning process, emphasize that math is understandable and can be figured out. 
• Avoid conveying negative attitudes toward math.  Never tell children not to worry about particular topics because they will never be used. 
• Involve children in talking and thinking about the mathematics they encounter each day.  Make real-life questions and tasks opportunities to work with mathematics. 
• Play games, such as Monopoly, with children.  Many games reinforce number and operation sense. 
• Encourage children to build, create, explore, and arrange whatever toys and materials can be provided for children.  Blocks, Tinkertoys, and erector sets are examples. 
• Ask your child what he or she did in math class each day with explanations and details.
• Expect your child’s homework to include more than simple computation worksheets.  Word problems and writing about math are very important to the learning process, too. 

Sources: Best Practice, by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde, 1998
Helping Children Learn Mathematics, National Research Council, 2002

Best Instructional Practices to Which We Are Committed

1. Cooperative/Collaborative Learning
2. Games
3. Manipulatives
4. Technology
5. Reinforcement of basic facts and formulas.

• Use geometric concepts to develop spatial understanding and reasoning
• Collect, organize, and analyze data using statistical methods
• Justify strategies and solutions through written and oral explanations
• Use math skills to estimate, approximate, make predictions, and judge reasonableness of results.

Team Members