Kindergarten Math Curriculum and Resource

Parent Night

Diana Garaitonandia, Ed.D. Louise Kirsh

Susan AllowayMandi Cooper

Throughout our school experiences, we were told to memorize many math rules without understanding why they worked. We were told that these were “tricks” to make math easier. When our students discover rules or generalizations, they are making sense of mathematics. It builds a stronger foundation than simply accepting and memorizing someone else’s rule.

Susan O’Connell, John SanGiovanni Putting the Practices into Action

Reflection:

PreK-5 lay a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals.

Taken together, these elements support a student’s ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures.

PA Core Standards

There are mathematical content and practice standards.

The mathematics content standards define what students should understand and be able to do. (What students learn)

Mathematical Practice Standards describe the habits of mind required to reach a level of mathematical proficiency. (How students learn)

Two Types of Standards

Focus strongly where the Standards focus

Rigor: Require fluency, application, and deep understanding

Shifts in Instruction

There is more than one way to solve a problem.

The goal of math instruction is to uncover all possible ways to solve a problem while discovering what each student’s thought process was for solving the problem.

Mantra: How can we teach mathematics so students come to appreciate that it is not about computation and following rules, but about solving important and relevant quantitative problems?

Results of Shifts in Instruction

Task One (old): Martha is re-carpeting her bedroom that is 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. How many square feet of carpeting will she need to purchase?

Task Two (new): Ms. Brown’s class will raise rabbits for their spring science fair. They have 24 feet of fencing to build a rectangular rabbit pen to keep the rabbits. If Ms. Brown’s students want their rabbits to have a as much room as possible, how long would each of the sides of the pen be?

Old and New Math Tasks

Task One

Martha is re-carpeting her bedroom that is 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. How many square feet of carpeting will she need to purchase?

15 x 10 = 150

Task TwoMs. Brown’s class will raise rabbits for their spring science fair. They have 24 feet of fencing to build a rectangular rabbit pen to keep the rabbits. If Ms. Brown’s students want their rabbits to have a as much room as possible, how long would each of the sides of the pen be?

Length Width Area( feet) (feet) (square feet)

11 1 11 10 2 20 9 3 27 8 4 32 7 5 35 6 6 36 5 7 35…

Content Standards-What students should know Counting and Cardinality Numbers and Operations in Base Ten Operations and Algebraic Thinking Geometry Measurement and Data

Kindergarten Curriculum

Practice Standards-How students learn Make sense of problems and persevere in solving

them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively Construct viable arguments and critique the

reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for and make use of structure Look for and express regularity in repeated

reasoning.

Kindergarten Curriculum

Example of a Math Lesson

Four Parts Engage – accessing prior knowledge and

stating the day’s essential question Teach and Talk – unlocking a problem and

thinking about how to solve the problem in more than one way

Practice – guided and independent with a quick check for the teacher to assess student knowledge; problem solving

Summarize – review the day’s essential question

Lesson Design

Website that provides students and parents access to the practice book and animated math models

https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com

Think Central

Dr. Diana Garaitonandia (“Dr. G.”) Curriculum Supervisor

215-853-1048 garaitd@npenn.org

Contact Information