Is your curriculum optimized for Common Core math?

How is the transition to Common Core working for your class? Does it seem like you have more to teach than before? If so, here are some critical questions to consider when adjusting a unit of instruction from a prior year or from older curriculum materials.

1) How close of a match are the content goals of the unit to the goals of Common Core for your grade?
For quick reference, see the goals list for your grade level at www.mathpaths.com. For more depth, read the actual wording of the standards using the CCSS links on that same page. Make a list and mark the unit goals as required, not required, or uncertain.

2) Which content goals in the unit should be considered as review or as preparation for the next year? 
The color coding and domain icons in the list at www.mathpaths.com will help you find related content in the prior or next grade. If the goal is review, you might be able to give it less emphasis. If the goal is not needed until the next year, considering skipping it! It is much more important for students to learn all goals for this year than to preview goals for the next year. Instead of uncertain, mark that goal as not required. When you skip content, remember to remove related questions from tests or assessment materials.

3) Does the unit include appropriate emphasis on the Standards for Mathematical Practices (MP)?
Mathematical practices are the important habits or processes needed to effectively solve problems including word problems and non-routine problems. These habits are often called problem-solving skills. For Common Core, it is important that problem-solving pages or activities relate to content standards of the prior year or current year. If a publisher's correlation mentions only an MP standard for a lesson, you may be able to skip the lesson. You can increase emphasis on MP standards during other lessons that develop required content.

4) Does Common Core require content that is missing or not sufficiently covered in the unit from a prior year or older materials?
If publishers simply updated the curriculum with "gap" lessons, there may be minimal content for some standards. And, the "gap" content might not be assessed. You may need to supplement the unit with free or low cost activities from TeacherPayTeachers.com, TeachersNotebook.com, or other sources.

In the past, most curriculum materials included 100 to 150 content goals/objectives per year. With CCSS, there are only 50-60 goals/objectives (based on the goals at www.mathpaths.com). Compared to prior years, the curriculum should include fewer topics in more depth! Good luck with Common Core!

Welcome back to school! The summer has been busy!

Can you believe that August is over? The summer has gone by too quickly. I've been busy updating checklists and making other resources for Common Core!
 
New Icons ~ Letter-shaped domain icons have been added to all checklists and posters to help students and teachers identify domains (strands) quickly, even if the signs are printed in black/white.

 

FREE Goals Leaflets using “I Can” Statements ~  There are now free leaflets of goals for each grade from K-8, numbered to match the goals on my poster checklists. These require just one sheet of paper, printed on both sides and folded to make a 4-page leaflet. You can download these from my website, www.mathpaths.com.

New Class Goal Signs ~ The 50-60 goals on each grade’s checklist are now available as individual goal signs illustrated with the domain icons, to be printed or displayed on a screen.

New and Expanded Products for the Standards for Mathematical Practice ~  In 2012, I developed “Be a Star” posters to emphasize practice standards in grades 3 to 8. Over the summer, I wrote a simpler K-2 version of "Be a Star" posters. Versions for 3-8 and K-2 include unique star-shaped icons for each practice standard. Both versions also include a mini book.

Have a great school year!

Angie

Common Core Math K-8 Makes Sense!

A lot of teachers are anxious about the transition to Common Core. Don't be. Here are three reasons that Common Core makes sense for K-8 math.

• Fewer Topics per Grade
  There are only about half as many new topics per year, so you'll have more time to spend on each topic. Most textbooks in recent years often "covered" 120 to 160 objectives per grade, while Common Core can be broken down into about 60 to 70 objectives per grade. One reason that textbooks included content "a mile wide and an inch" deep is that standards from state to state were inconsistent; publishers shoved in extra content to match checklists for curriculum committees in various states. Textbooks included a lot of duplication from one grade to the next. In CCSS, duplication is minimal. Review of the prior year will occur when extending the concepts and in the context of problem solving.
• More Emphasis on Developing Understanding before Introducing Algorithms
  As a tutor, I work with many students who apply algorithms without regard to meaning. For example, when asked to find half of 18, one student wrote 1/2 x 18/1 = 18/2 = 9. This is a clue that the student does not really understand "half" and was taught the multiplication algorithm for fractions too soon. The Common Core standards often require computation "using place value" or "using models" the year before the algorithm is introduced. As students use models and place value, they develop a deeper understanding of the concepts. Then, when algorithms are introduced, students will be able to understand the algorithms and apply them more appropriately.
• More Emphasis on Fluency
  Studies have shown that students who are more fluent with basic math will be better problem solvers. (Source: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/math-fluency.) With Common Core, the standards are very clear about fluency requirements for various basic facts and operations. And, since teachers have fewer topics to "cover" in each grade, extra time can be devoted to activities and games to develop fluency for the grade-appropriate topics. This will result in more students having fluency with the same basic skills, so the class can more easily tackle problems requiring higher-order thinking skills.

You may wonder if the Common Core requires "harder" math than before. Generally for Grades K-6, the same content is included but topics may appear in an earlier or later grade or are broken down more. For example, there is a specific requirement for dividing a whole number by a unit fraction in Grade 5, while most division of fractions is the next year. Grades 7-8 do seem somewhat "harder" in that the standards require more algebra and statistics than before. However, there is the expectation that if the curriculum in Grades K-6 has more depth and focus, students will be ready for Grades 7-8!

In another post, I'll talk about the important role of the new Standards for Mathematical Practice.