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Standard Aligned "Generally" for Use at All Levels

CSM does provide resources that align with "Common Core Curriculum Standards"

Main Idea of State & National Standards
     To help parents better understand "State & National Standards", a summary of each Math Standard according to general Middle Levels is listed below. The main idea of each Standard is the same at levels below and above middle grades.  High School Standards* change slightly. Workouts fall into the following Standards. 

  • NUMBER SENSE & COMPUTATION
    Basic Computation (add, subtract, multiply, divide) with whole numbers, fractions, decimals & integers; Mental Math Skills & Estimation; Different representations of numbers (.34 = 34/100 = 15/50 = 34%); Properties of Numbers (Commutative, Associative, Distributive and more).

  • ALGEBRA*
    Finding & Extending Patterns (3, 7, 11, 15 . . .next number is 19); Perfect Squares & Cubes; Connecting Patterns to Graphs, Algebra & Tables; Coordinate System & Ordered Pairs; Variables, Equations & Inequalities; Math Models

  • MEASUREMENT
    Customary (Standard) & Metric Measurements; Convert & Compare Measurements; Distance (length), Capacity (volume), Mass (weight), Temperature, Time; Estimating / Sensible Measurements; Perimeter, Circumference, Area, Surface Area, Volume and Common Formulas

  • GEOMETRY*
    Polygons (straight-sided shapes) and their Properties; Classify Quadrilaterals & Triangles; Circles; 2D &3D figures;Transformations (Reflect, Rotate, Translate, Enlarge, Reduce, Similar & Congruent proportionaltly); Understanding Scale; Geometry + Algebra (coordinate system, graphing, quadrants, connects to patterns)

  • DATA & PROBABILITY
    • Statistics - Bar, Line, & Circle Graphs; Stem & Leaf Plots; Scatter Plots; Trend Lines; Misleading Graphs; Mean, Mode, Median, & Range
    • Probability - Single & Compound Event; Independent & Dependent Events; Connects Decimals, Fractions, & Percents. 

*Usually, around 8th grade, some Algebra Standards become Geometry Standards (i.e. graphing, slope/intercept, functions, etc).  For simplification, they will remain an Algebra Standard for Choosing Workouts. 
      

Customize to Specific Needs
of Students 

     Workouts are generally aligned to State & National Standards. Common Sense Math is a "tool" that gives a tremendous amount of flexibility & creativity to pull needed skills into any curriculum.
     The ability to customize & supplement your curriculum according to the needs of your students is powerful. 

   For example, lowest term skills are needed for the 8th Grade concept of Probability.  You realize that students are having trouble with probability, because of the previous skill of lowest terms.. CSM provides a tool to help students recapture earlier concepts to use with newer ones.

Review Previous Skills and
Build Upon Them


     Effective instructional strategies say to review and activate previous skills (bring things to the front of student's minds) before adding to & building upon that skill. 
     Doing a Workout over a previously tested skill, helps students grasp the new skill being introduced even if it is not a "testable objective" for that grade.
     Parents also have a quick & easy way to refresh skills they haven't used in a while.

"The Trunk of the Tree" 
Basic Computation

     If students are relying on crutches for basic facts (fingers, charts, calculators) it affects all the other Standards.  Students become frustrated and new concepts are difficult to grasp without common math vocabulary and good computation skills.  These skills are the "trunk of the tree" that feeds all the other Standards.

 

 

 

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