Math

From kindergarten through fourth grade, students engage in the New Perspective Context for Learning Mathematics program—an inquiry-based curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving, investigation, and mathematical discourse. Students explore mathematical concepts through rich contexts, stories, and games, while building fluency and deep conceptual understanding. Our K–4 math program builds a strong foundation in number sense, problem-solving, and mathematical reasoning through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Students move from exploring basic concepts in early grades to applying strategies for complex problems by Grade 4.

Students engage in Problem Strings very frequently as part of Math Workshop, which are carefully crafted sequences of related math problems that help develop robust mathematical reasoning. Unlike number talks, which focus primarily on discussion, Problem Strings are more structured and designed to promote fluency and progressive mathematical development through both thinking and doing.

Our Kindergarten math curriculum emphasizes number sense,addition and subtraction foundations,data representation, and spatial reasoning through playful, hands-on experiences. Students develop fluency and conceptual understanding through counting, comparing, and composing numbers, while exploring shapes and measurement.Kindergarten Units of Study includes:

  • Rhoda Red and Loretta Leghorn: Working with Fives and Tens – Building early number sense and understanding of addition and subtraction.
  • My Favorite Collections – Exploring addition, subtraction, and data representation.
  • How Many? – Strengthening counting strategies and early place value.
  • Babies’ Wild Adventure – Learning about shapes, navigation, and spatial reasoning.
  • Bunk Beds and Apple Boxes – Developing strategies for addition and subtraction.
  • Organizing and Collecting: Place Value – Understanding grouping and the base-ten system.

Grade 1 students deepen their understanding of addition, subtraction, number systems, shapes, and measurement through hands-on activities, problem-solving, and games. Units are designed to build conceptual understanding and fluency while making math engaging and relevant.

Core Units Include:

  • Organizing and Collecting: The Number System – Understanding place value and developing strategies for addition and subtraction.
  • Double Decker Bus: Addition and Subtraction – Building fluency with operations through real-world scenarios.
  • Shaping Up the Yard: Navigation and Shape – Exploring two-dimensional shapes and spatial reasoning.
  • Comparing Favorite Collections – Working with data representation, analysis, and number operations.
  • Measuring for the Art Show – Using an open number line to add, subtract, and measure length.
  • Farms and Fences – Applying linear measurement concepts to problem-solving.
  • Timekeepers – Measuring and understanding time.

What Students Learn:

  • Apply strategies for addition and subtraction within 20.
  • Understand and use place value for numbers up to 120.
  • Explore 2D shapes and spatial navigation.
  • Collect, organize, and interpret data.
  • Measure length and time accurately.

By the end of Grade 1, students are confident problem solvers who can explain their reasoning, show flexibility with strategies, and make connections between math concepts and everyday life.

In Grade 2, students extend their understanding of numbers, operations, measurement, and shapes through real-world contexts, hands-on activities, and problem-solving. They develop fluency with addition and subtraction within 100, explore place value, work with measurement tools, and begin algebraic thinking.

Key Units of Study:

  • Beads and Shoes, Making Twos – Deepens number sense and strategies for addition and subtraction.
  • Pete’s Penny Pockets – Builds understanding of place value and the structure of the number system.
  • Time and Money – Measures time and explores the value of coins and bills in practical situations.
  • Tanisha and Tamika’s Toolbox – Explores linear measurement systems using tools and real-world applications.
  • Trades, Jumps, and Stops – Introduces early algebra concepts and relationships in number patterns.
  • Value Bars and Line Plots – Collects, organizes, and interprets data using visual models.
  • Ages and Timelines – Uses open number lines for subtraction and to represent time sequences.
  • Little Cities – Develops geometric reasoning through shapes, area, and perimeter concepts.

By the end of Grade 2, students are confident problem solvers, able to use multiple strategies, represent their thinking visually, and explain mathematical ideas clearly.

Our Grade 3 math program is designed to deepen students’ understanding of number sense, operations, geometry, measurement, and data analysis through engaging, real-world contexts. Each unit builds problem-solving skills and mathematical reasoning while connecting concepts across domains.

Units at a Glance:

  • The T-Shirt Factory – Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction
  • Groceries, Stamps, and Measuring Strips – Early Multiplication
  • The Big Dinner – Multiplication with the Ratio Table
  • Muffles’ Truffles – Multiplication and Division with the Open Array
  • Tabletops, Floors, and Fields – Area, Perimeter, and Partitioning
  • Building Benches and Measuring Tools – Introduction to Fractions
  • All About Sharks – Data Representation and Analysis
  • Elapsed Time, Weight, and Liquid Volume – Measurement Concepts

Students engage in open-ended tasks, collaborative problem-solving, and hands-on activities that promote critical thinking and application of math in authentic situations.

Our Grade 4 math program builds strong problem-solving skills, advanced number sense, and conceptual understanding of fractions, geometry, and measurement. Students deepen their ability to analyze patterns, work with large numbers, and apply mathematical reasoning to real-world problems.

Units at a Glance:

  • Number Detectives – Patterns, Functions, and Structures
  • The Skateboard Lane – Angles, Turns, and Measuring
  • Puzzle-Packing Companies – Expanding Place Value
  • The Teachers’ Lounge – Place Value and Division
  • Muffles’ Measurement Models (Parts 1 & 2) – Customary Units, Metric System, and Measurement Concepts
  • Field Trips and Fundraisers – Introducing Fractions
  • From Sunflowers to Growth Patterns – Data Representation and Analysis
  • Marcus Tilus and the Knights of the Polygonal Tables – Geometry and Angles

Students engage in hands-on projects, visual models, and collaborative tasks to master multi-step operations, fractions, and geometry concepts, while applying mathematical thinking to authentic scenarios.