Curriculum: Mathematics at the School for Children

Mathematics in the Middle School

The Middle School mathematics program emphasizes conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas. In working towards this goal, students explore relationships and properties of number through the use of materials, including Unifix cubes, Dienes blocks, color cubes, and pattern blocks, before they write down their discoveries. They learn to perform fundamental operations and derive algorithms (common procedures for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) by using manipulatives. Middle School children relate mathematics to practical and real-life situations through measurement, telling time, money, mapping, graphing, patterns, spatial relations, and statistics. The program provides a balance between the development of a strong number sense and problem solving skills on the one hand, and practicing computational skills on the other. Math instruction involves a variety of experiences, including investigations with materials, class discussions, games, projects, and paper and pencil work.

At each age level, students review, consolidate, and build on prior knowledge. Teachers encourage students to develop their own intuitive mathematical sense and to trust their hypotheses. There is as much emphasis on the strategy, process, and mental exercise used to solve a problem as on getting the right answer. Valuing the process as well as the product is an essential part of the school's philosophy regarding learning; we believe learners internalize new concepts through a thorough grasp of the process involved.

6/7s

The primary goals for the 6/7s are: identifying, describing, and predicting geometric and numeric patterns; understanding place value; developing number sense; estimating, measuring, adding, and subtracting. Teachers use manipulative materials such as base-10 Dienes blocks to introduce addition and subtraction. Familiarity and computation with money, graphing, basic geometry, and problem solving are also integral parts of the program.

7/8s

The 7/8s expand on solving mathematical problems, subtraction, and place value. Teachers introduce multiplication and division concepts. Other content areas include mental arithmetic, reading clocks, linear measurement, geometry, strengthening of number sense, estimation, and graphing.

8/9s

The 8/9s continue to develop skills such as problem solving, mental arithmetic, measurement, making maps, measuring liquid volume, graphing, place value, computation with whole numbers (all operations), and basic concepts related to the area and perimeter of rectangles.

9/10s

The 9/10s are introduced to multiplication and division algorithms, fraction concepts, and the addition and subtraction of fractions. They continue developing their geometric skills through a study of quadrilaterals and angles. They also work on number theory and graphing.