Everyday Mathematics

Mathematics at Home

de Jean Bell, Dorothy Freedman

Over the last 25 years Everyday Mathematics has grown from a Kindergarten field test to one of the most widely used elementary math programs in the United States. What accounts for this growth? The answer is simple. Students succeed in math when using Everyday Mathematics. Everyday Mathematics is a core curriculum for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. At each grade level students are provided opportunities to learn concepts and practice skills in a variety of representations. A concept like fractions may first be introduced using a concrete representation such as base-ten blocks. Next the student may be asked to draw a pictorial representation of a fraction. A story problem may be introduced and finally an abstract representation of the fraction is introduced to the student. Using multiple representations of concepts helps students understand how abstract or formulaic representations of math are connected to the physical world. Everyday Mathematics' focus on real-life problem solving forces students to see how math touches their lives every day. Students are given the freedom to explore different ways of solving problems and taught how to communicate their mathematical thinking. These are recognized strengths of the Everyday Mathematics program and are a large part of the Common Core State Standards. In particular, the Standards of Mathematical Practice are covered extensively in Everyday Mathematics and have been at the heart of the program for the last 25 years when NCTM released a precursor to the Practice Standards called the Process Standards. The authors of Everyday Mathematics painstakingly reviewed the Common Core State Standards and realigned content to match expectations in the Common Core. However, the authors have remained true to the pedagogy and their mission of making all students lifelong mathematical thinkers. - Publisher.