Math Topics

Adapted from a post on 9/28/2011 [link] 

The Base Curriculum

As I shared in a previous post [link] our district uses the Connected Mathematics Project's curriculum for middle schools. But our state standards for Grade 6 [link] don't match the publisher's arrangement of these books (teachers say that a curriculum is aligned to the state standards when the topics match). So, our district has rearranged some of the books to try and hit as many of the state standards for Grade 6 as possible.

Further Adaptations

Often these books are missing pieces that I feel my students need, or there are different ways of getting to the same concepts. While I will use these books as my general scaffold, there are many times that I will augment, supplement or replace portions of the book with other resources that I feel will benefit my students.

Bellingham's Alignment

In Grade 6, our district uses these books to teach toward the state standards:

• Bits and Pieces I
  Move among fractions, decimals, and percents; compare and order rational numbers; equivalence.
• Bits and Pieces II
  Understanding and skill with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions.

• Covering and Surrounding
  Area and perimeter relationships, including minima and maxima; area and perimeter of polygons and circles, including formulas.
• Filling and Wrapping
  Spatial visualization, volume and surface area of various solids, volume and surface area relationship.

• Bits and Pieces III
  Understanding and skill with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of decimals, solving percent problems.
• Comparing and Scaling
  Rates and ratios; making comparisons; proportional reasoning; solving proportions.
• Variables and Patterns
  Variables; representations of relationships, including tables, graphs, words, and symbols.

So most of Grade 6 Math falls into two BIG categories: Proportional Reasoning (fractions and ratios); and Describing Solids (surface area and volume).