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Elementary Mathematics Philosophy
The Howard County curriculum for
kindergarten through sixth grade was developed in full support
of and consistent with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum
(Pre-K through Grade 8) and the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics Principles and Standards for School Mathematics,
2000. The curriculum emphasizes the development of number
relationships, computation, problem solving.
The following document includes the
scope and sequence of instructional skills for kindergarten
through sixth grade. The Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum has
been adapted to meet Howard County standards and expectations.
Differences in developmental levels and the needs of students
will dictate the amount of time needed to cover the concepts and
skills. Adjustment to the sequence of skills may need to be made
based on resources and needs in individual classrooms.
Progression through the curriculum
should be based on assessment of students’ learning and
continuous progress. Continuous progress means that students
need to be taught at their appropriate instructional level. Some
students will be working at grade level and others above or
working toward grade level. The classroom teacher and the school
based administrators make decisions about student instructional
levels based on assessments of student achievement, teacher
observation, and classroom performance.
The process standards of problem
solving, communication, representation, reasoning, and
connections should permeate instruction and need to be addressed
throughout the entire school year. Instruction should include
use of manipulatives and technology. Calculators and computers
should be incorporated, when appropriate. The students will be
taught number sense strategies that will provide the conceptual
understanding for the acquisition of the basic facts. Most
students will demonstrate mastery of basic facts for addition by
the end of second grade and basic multiplication facts by the
end of fourth grade. All students will demonstrate mastery of
the basic facts by the end of fifth grade.
Contact:
Kay
Sammons, Elementary Mathematics Coordinator |