Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics 6-8

Description: For courses in Mathematics Methods (Elementary and Middle School) and for classroom teachers. A practical, comprehensive, developmentally appropriate approach to effective mathematical instruction in grades 6 to 8. Helping students make connections between mathematics and their worlds-and helping them feel empowered to use math in their lives-is the focus of this widely popular guide. Designed for classroom teachers, the book focuses on specific grade bands and includes information on creating an effective classroom environment, aligning teaching to various standards and practices, such as the Common Core State Standards and NCTM’s teaching practices, and engaging families. The first portion of the book addresses how to build a student-centered environment in which children can become mathematically proficient, while the second portion focuses on practical ways to teach important concepts in a student-centered fashion. This book is part of the Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics series, which is designed with three objectives: 1) To illustrate what it means to teach student-centered, problem-based mathematics, 2) to serve as a reference for the mathematics content and research-based instructional strategies suggested for the specific grade levels, and 3) to present a large collection of high quality tasks and activities that can engage students in the mathematics that is important for them to learn.

Contents: Part 1: Establishing a Student-Centered Environment 1 Setting a Vision for Learning High-Quality Mathematics 2 Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving 3 Creating Assessments for Learning 4 Differentiating Instruction 5 Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children 6 Planning, Teaching, and Assessing Children with Exceptionalities 7 Collaborating with Families and Other Stakeholders Part 2: Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics 8 Fraction Concepts and Computation 9 Decimal Concepts and Computation 10 The Number System 11 Ratios and Proportional Relationships 12 Algebraic Thinking: Expressions, Equations, and Functions 13 Developing Geometry Concepts 14 Exploring Measurement Concepts 15 Working with Data and Doing Statistics 16 Investigating Concepts of Probability Appendix A Common Core State Standards: Standards for Mathematical Practice Appendix B Common Core State Standards: Grades 6-8 Critical Content Areas and Overviews Appendix C Mathematics Teaching Practices: NCTM Principles to Actions (2014) Appendix D Activities at a Glance: Volume III Appendix E Guide to Blackline Masters References Index