Curriculum
Math
The Hilliard City Schools Board of Education adopted a kindergarten through fifth-grade mathematics program in 2000, which was phased in over a three-year period. The program, Everyday Mathematics, embraces many of the traditional goals of school mathematics as well as two ambitious new goals:
- To substantially raise expectations with respect to the amount and range of mathematics that children can learn
- To provide materials for children and support for teachers that enable them to meet these higher expectations
The philosophy of the Everyday Mathematics program recognizes that children of the 21st Century need a mathematics curriculum that is both rigorous and balanced:
- a curriculum that emphasizes conceptual understanding while building a mastery of basic skills
- a curriculum that explores the full mathematics spectrum, not just basic arithmetic
- a curriculum based on how children learn, what they’re interested in, and the future for which they must be prepared.
Everyday Mathematics is designed to build understanding over a period of time, first through informal exposure and then through more formal and directed instruction. Children using Everyday Mathematics are expected to master a variety of mathematical skills and concepts, but not necessarily the first time they are encountered. Mathematical content is taught in a repeated spiraling fashion, beginning with concrete experiences. In this design, children "double back," revisiting topics, concepts, and skills, and then relating them to each other in new and different ways.
Mathematics standards in the United States, as well as around the world, indicate that basic arithmetic skills are only the beginning of the mathematical knowledge children will need as they develop critical thinking skills. In addition to basic arithmetic, Everyday Mathematics develops concepts and skills in the following topics:
- numeration, operations and computation
- data and chance
- geometry
- measurement and reference frames
- patterns, functions, and algebra.
Basic facts are viewed as important in the Everyday Mathematics program, but not in total isolation and not to the exclusion of the full mathematics spectrum. Practice of basic facts in the Everyday Mathematics program occurs through games. Frequent practice is imperative for students to attain mastery of a skill. Unlike drills, which tend to become monotonous and gradually lose effectiveness over time, games relieve the tedium of rote repetition. Games also reduce the use of worksheets and offer an almost unlimited source of problem material, because in most cases, numbers in the games are generated randomly.
The Everyday Mathematics program is designed with the expectation that mathematics instruction constitutes approximately one hour of each school day.
Home Links are the Everyday Mathematics version of homework assignments. Each lesson has a Home Link and consists of active projects and ongoing review problems that show parents what the children can do in mathematics. The Home Links activities serve three main purposes:
- they promote follow-up
- provide enrichment
- involve parents or guardians in their children’s mathematics education.
Additional information about Everyday Mathematics can be found at their web site: http://www.sra4kids.com/everydaylearning/em/index.html
