The Common Core Mathematics standards have been adopted to ensure development of mathematical knowledge, skills and mindsets from the earliest learners up through Upper School. Using these grade level standards, teachers plan units of work, drawing links to other areas of the curriculum where appropriate. Math learning at each grade level focuses on developing conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and application of the math through problem-solving. Students spend time on particular critical areas (concepts and skills) in each grade level to ensure mastery and coherence from one grade to the next.
At all grade levels, students develop mathematical behaviors and practices. These include problem solving, reasoning, communication, modelling, representation and looking for patterns. Students are encouraged to be mathematical thinkers.
Instructional time in each grade level focuses on critical areas of deep conceptual understanding and procedural fluency:
Grade 1 students:
- develop understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for addition and subtraction within 20
- develop understanding of whole number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones
- develop understanding of linear measurement and measuring lengths as iterating length units
- reason about attributes of, and compose and decompose geometric shapes — fluently add and subtract within 10
Grade 2 students:
- extend understanding of base-ten notation
- build fluency with addition and subtraction
- use standard units of measure
- describe and analyze shapes
- fluently add and subtract within 20 and know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers
Grade 3 students:
- develop understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100
- develop understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1)
- develop understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of area
- describe and analyze two-dimensional shapes
- fluently multiply and divide within 100
Grade 4 students:
- develop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends
- develop an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers
- understand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry
- fluently multiply and divide within 100 and add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers
Grade 5 students:
- develop fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and develop understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions
- extend division to 2-digit divisors, integrate decimal fractions into the place value system, develop understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, and develop fluency with whole number and decimal operations
- develop understanding of volume
- fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers