I realize that some kids enjoy math and some kids (unfortunately) do not! 

Please refer to each of the page links at left for more detail about how our classroom will operate and/or the Connected Mathematics curriculum. 

Connected Mathematics Goals

As the publisher states, the overarching goal of Connected Mathematics is to help students and teachers develop mathematical knowledge, understanding, and skill along with an awareness of and appreciation for the rich connections among mathematical strands and between mathematics and other disciplines.  All the CMP curriculum development has been guided by a single mathematical standard.

All students should be able to reason and communicate proficiently in mathematics.  They should have a knowledge of and skill in the use of the vocabulary, forms of representation, materials, tools, techniques, and intellectual methods of the discipline of mathematics, including the ability to define and solve problems with reason, insight, inventiveness, and technical proficiency.

My goals

My personal goal is help each student develop the confidence to challenge him/herself to try to solve new problems.  I also encourage students to not rely on the calculator - a calculator is only as good as the data put into it.  Students will spend a significant portion of their time in small-group work with tablemates.  They are expected to share their thinking, compare problem-solving strategies and be able to work productively on class assignments.

I also want students to develop a sense of when numbers simply "look right" or not.  Students need to challenge themselves to re-think a problem if they've worked out an answer that, logically, doesn't make sense.  If a student's calculations told her that 10 x 70 = 2,000,000, for example, I want her to recognize immediately that something's wrong! 

Before I became a teacher, I worked in advertising with media buyers who spent millions of dollars of our clients' money.  It alarmed me (and our clients!) whenever one of them needed a calculator for simple computations, such as 6 commercials x $50,000 each = $300,000. 

I want your child to have better number sense than that!