What is Singapore Math?

Dr. Yeap Ban Har explains the origins of Singapore Maths at a London seminar for teachers in June of 2011.

Number Sense

Number sense is a student's overall understanding of numbers and their relationships.  It gives students the context they need to build an understanding of mathematics.  We are working hard at helping our students build a strong number sense foundation on which they can build their computational strategies.  

Students begin building number sense by learning that every number can be broken apart into other numbers -  this is known as part-whole thinking.  Understanding part-whole relationships gives students the confidence they need to work with numbers and build computational proficiency.  

One activity that you can do at home to help your child practice part-whole thinking is a game called Tic-Tac-Ten.  This is a partner game that requires a blank tic-­tac-­toe board and a die. Each person rolls the die to see what number comes up and then places that number strategically on the board. The goal is to get 10 in a vertical or diagonal row while blocking your opponent from getting 10.

Middle School Parent Night

We are looking forward to an SAU 15 Middle School Parent Night for Math in Focus!  Hope to see you there!

Math in Focus Demonstration Lessons

Throughout the month of November kindergarten through grade 6 teachers had the opportunity to learn from a Math in Focus consultant.  Teachers were able to observe the consultant teaching our students and then as a group examined the structure, pacing and strategies employed by the consultant.  The demonstrations proved to be a valuable experience for our students and teachers.

Homework

Forty-one parents attended the Math in Focus Parent Information Night on Wednesday!

Some of the "tips for parents" that were shared included what you can expect to see in work that comes home:

• Greater use of visuals and language
• Students will eventually be asked to use the standard algorithms
• Higher level questioning
• Fewer nights of homework
• Fewer problems, but more critical thinking
• It is important to allow your child to do the work independently
• Have your child teach you to give them the opportunity to solidify their learning by "teaching"
• Let homework go back to school incomplete if the child is not understanding so that the teacher can reflect on that
• Write a quick note to the teacher to let them know that the child tried, but was not finding success

Good questions to ask your child about their homework include:

• What do you remember from class?
• What do you think this means?
• Can you show me how to work the problem?
• Can you explain this problem to me?

Parental support and positive attitudes will go along way in helping your child succeed in math!!

Math in Focus Parent Information Night

I hope to see you at the Math in Focus Parent Information Night tomorrow night at 7:00PM at Hooksett Memorial School.  Phyllis Yucatonis, Math in Focus professional development trainer, will be leading parents through some of the concepts and problems that your children will encounter at the different grade levels.

What is mental math and why is it important?

Developing a solid understanding of numbers through concrete materials and visualization helps students become more proficient at mental math.  The video below describes how mental math develops and its importance in becoming proficient in mathematics.