Based on extensive research conducted by the authors, Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Pre-K-Grade 2, is designed to help classroom teachers understand, monitor, and guide the development of students' reasoning and sense making about core ideas in elementary school mathematics. It describes and illustrates the nature of these skills using classroom vignettes and actual student work in conjunction with instructional tasks and learning progressions to show how reasoning and sense making develop and how instruction can support students in that development. Students who can make sense of mathematical ideas can apply those ideas in problem solving, even in unfamiliar situations, and can use them as a foundation for future learning. Without them, students are reduced to rote learning, often experiencing frustration and failure. But what do reasoning and sense making during learning and teaching look like? Each chapter of Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Pre-K-Grade 2 explores a different topic that young children encounter in mathematics, demonstrating with actual student work and classroom dialogue how their mathematical knowledge and reasoning ability move through "levels of sophistication" or learning progressions: After opening with a discussion of the nature of reasoning and sense making and their critical importance in developing mathematical thinking, chapter 1 examines how young students attempt to make sense of the concepts of place value and length measurement. Chapter 2 focuses on how early childhood instruction can engage students in mathematical reasoning while helping them construct a rich sense of number and operations. Chapter 3 identifies core algebraic ideas and shows how students can engage with these ideas in ways that not only deepen their understanding of arithmetic but also lays the foundation for the future study of algebra. Children's reasoning and sense making as they decompose and compose geometric shapes--including reasoning about area--is examined in chapter 4. The use of learning progressions to understand students' reasoning and to guide their sense making with appropriate teaching is also discussed. Not just a theoretical discussion, the book also provides specific suggestions for related instructional activities for each topic. Supplementary online resources can be accessed at NCTM's More4U website. Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Pre-K-Grade 2 will be a valuable and practical addition to your professional library.

Based on extensive research conducted by the authors, Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 3-5, is designed to help classroom teachers understand, monitor, and guide the development of students' reasoning and sense making about core ideas in elementary school mathematics.

Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 6-8, based on extensive research conducted by the authors, is designed to help classroom teachers understand, monitor, and guide the development of students' reasoning and sense making about core ideas in middle school mathematics. It describes and illustrates the nature of these skills using classroom vignettes and actual student work in conjunction with instructional tasks and learning progressions to show how instruction can support students in their development of these competencies. Students who can make sense of mathematical ideas can apply those ideas in problem solving, even in unfamiliar situations, and can use them as a foundation for future learning. Without this base of conceptual understanding, students are reduced to rote learning, often experiencing frustration and failure. But what do reasoning and sense making look like in learning and teaching? Each chapter of Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 6-8 explores a different topic that children encounter in mathematics, demonstrating with actual student work and classroom dialogue how their mathematical knowledge and reasoning ability move through "levels of sophistication," or learning progressions: After opening with a discussion of the nature of reasoning and sense making and their critical importance in developing mathematical thinking, chapter 1 examines how students attempt to make sense of the concepts of fractions and geometric properties of shapes. Chapter 2 discusses how reasoning about ratios and proportional relationships involves deep understanding of the multiplicative relationships embedded in the comparisons of two quantities. Chapter 3 focuses on what it means to call algebra a "style of mathematical thinking" and illustrates how students can view it as a reasoning and sense-making activity rather than as an isolated set of concepts to be memorized without understanding and quickly forgotten. Reasoning and sense making are inextricably linked in statistics and probability. Discussion and examples are used in chapter 4 to illustrate pedagogical practices that recognize and address students' development of statistical understanding, including some of the misunderstandings that students display along the way. Chapter 5 examines how students make sense of and reason about decomposing shapes, and discusses the mental processes underlying this reasoning in the context of area, surface area, and volume. Not just a theoretical treatise, the book provides specific suggestions for related instructional activities for each topic. Reasoning and Sense Making in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 6-8 will be a valuable and practical addition to your professional library.

The 11th Edition of Helping Children Learn Mathematics is designed to help those who are or will be teachers of mathematics in elementary schools help children develop understanding and proficiency with mathematics so they can solve problems. This text is built around three main themes; helping children make sense of mathematics, incorporating practical experiences and using research to guide teaching. It also integrates connections and implications from the Common Core Standards: Mathematics (CCSS-M).

Help young minds explore algebraic concepts Algebra is the gateway to higher education, and preparing students to grasp algebraic concepts increases their opportunities to succeed. This book shows teachers how to create a strong foundation in algebra for very young children. Using in-depth math "explorations," the author unpacks—step by step—the hidden connections to higher algebra. Each exploration contains an elegantly simple grade-banded lesson (on addition, subtraction, patterns, and odd and even numbers), followed by a discussion of the algebra connections in the lesson, as well as suggestions for additional problems to explore. Throughout, readers will find: Clear explanations of algebraic connections Specific strategies for teaching the key ideas of algebra Lesson modifications for older or younger students An array of age-appropriate problems, games, and lessons Planting the seeds of Algebra, PreK–2 helps teachers foster mathematical habits of mind in students such as critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, agility, communication, curiosity, and imagination. Growth in these ways of thinking and doing will transfer to other areas of education and life—raising the bar and challenging students to aspire.