What Makes a Curriculum?

It is our goal to take our students beyond a surface level understanding of concepts to a deeper level of understanding that will allow them to explore any option they desire in their educational path past their thirteen years at PBS. This goal is achieved through combining of multiple resources in the classroom by veteran teachers. A textbook is not our curriculum in its entirety. Textbooks are one resource teachers use to design a learning environment for students. Teachers use multiple resources and research based techniques to support and extend the basic curriculum outlined in Go Math.

What resources will be used to extend the curriculum?

Reflex Math-

The National Math Advisory Panel in 2008 highlighted how a lack in math fact fluency can harm a student as they encounter new skills. Mastering basic math facts, frees up a student’s working memory to focus on the new complex skill thus ensuring a greater opportunity for success. Based on this research, we have integrated Reflex Math into our curriculum offerings. Reflex Math is an engaging math fact “game” that provides students with practice in basic facts based on their individual needs.

MobyMax-

Students need to encounter previous skills that have been mastered throughout the year. One resource we will be using to meet this need is MobyMax, an online program that provides differentiated learning objectives for students.

Spiral Reviews-

Spiral reviews will be integrated into math to provide experiences with previously mastered skills. Students in elementary grades will have spiral review problems on each homework assignment. In middle school grades, students will be assigned spiral review work and be tested on earlier skills throughout the year.

Exploring Options

The math text may only show one way to solve a problem, but teachers will use all the tools in their tool bag to reach all students. For example, the sixth grade textbook presents ratios and proportions using the table method. This method does provide students with a conceptual understanding of the skill and is a good jumping off point. Our teachers will also teach other methods including cross multiplying and equivalent fraction method. They will bring in other resources and experiences for the students to provide multiple opportunities for the skill to be mastered and understood by all.