Great Ideas of Primary Mathematics

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 11.06.03

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Content
  3. Techniques for the Classroom
  4. Appendix: Implementing District Standards
  5. Bibliography

Cracking the Place Value Code

Kishayla Tanyelle Payne-Miller

Published September 2011

Tools for this Unit:

Introduction

Have you ever worked hard on an addition or subtraction lesson and found out later that your students didn't understand? When this happens to me, I begin to wonder "Where did I go wrong?" I reflect on my lesson and critique the presentation of my lesson. After spending time reflecting, I am still unable to determine where any misconceptions may have occurred in my lesson. The next day I engage in a conversation with my colleagues and find that they have presented the lesson in a similar manner as me, and they weren't successful either. Together we develop new strategies. These strategies are shared with the students and they might not be successful with those strategies either. So, I began to wonder, "How can I help my students to understand how to add and subtract numbers?" I realized I had never asked myself "Could a lack of understanding of place value be the problem?" I have learned through research and experience that completing computation problems is difficult for students. I also discovered that a lack of emphasis on place value is a main cause of this problem, and I will focus on developing the fundamental skills of place value in this unit.

I teach second grade at Southern Elementary School (Colonial School District) in a self contained classroom with 23 students. My school is located in New Castle, Delaware. Southern Elementary opened in August 2001. There are approximately 929 students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. The ethnicity of the students is diverse: 42% Caucasian, 42% African American, 9% Hispanic, 5 % Asian, and 3% Multi-Racial. Forty-two percent of the population is low income, 11% of the population is special education, and 7% of the students are English Language Learners. This unit is written for second grade students who are struggling to complete basis addition and subtraction computation problems.

The mission for Colonial School District is to improve the academic achievement of all students. Therefore, staff is working toward the common goal of helping each student to have a successful school experience and be a productive addition to their community when they graduate. To aid staff to be successful, they are encouraged to use various methods to help students understand concepts. There are professional development opportunities that help staff to learn new strategies to help students understand concepts. Staff members are encouraged to provide multiple strategies and opportunities for students to be successful. Therefore, the strategies and methods presented in this unit will help me to achieve my district goal as well as help my students be successful with mathematics during their educational career.

The current math curriculum being used in the Colonial School District is the Investigations curriculum. This curriculum has been used in Colonial for at least 13 years if not longer. The Investigation Curriculum was developed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When it was first introduced, it was referred to as TERC (Technical Education Research Centers) program. The TERC Company has been in existence for at least twenty years. The company works on various entities of school programs ranging from Science, Social Studies, and Reading just to name a few. Within the last few years, the math portion of the program changed their name to Investigations. The Investigation curriculum provides students with opportunities to discover several ways to solve math problems. Students are also working with a partner to explain their thought process to make sure it is accurate and that they understand their math techniques being used. The discussions that students have are an essential part of the curriculum because it allows the students to see if they understand the concepts that they have learned. Students are encouraged to discover new ways to solve problems the discoveries they make becomes theirs. It is a great way for students to feel valued and that they are in control of their learning experience. There are a series of books for each grade level. The Investigation curriculum is a spiral curriculum. A spiral curriculum is a curriculum that repeats the topic later on within the current curriculum or future curriculum. The topic will be reviewed and then carried a little further the next time so that the skill is constantly being built upon. When the Investigation program was introduced in Colonial, teachers attended training sessions for each book throughout the school year. I believe the Investigation program is a great way for students to begin to see and understand how math works. The unit that I have developed here is designed to also enhance the current Investigations program used by my district.

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