New York State Education Department Essay

Time broken into hours, days, weeks, and months must also be mastered. This is the grade level where statistics are introduced. Students learn to "Collect data using observations, surveys, and experiments and record appropriately," and then turn those observations into appropriate visual representations of them which would allow them to make predictions (4.S.2).

The fifth grade set standards also aim to utilize previous points in order to get into more complex mathematical understandings of the world. Students must "Understand the basic language of logic in mathematical situations (and, or, not)," (5.PS.9). Within that language, fifth graders should be able to pick the best strategies and "Decode and comprehend mathematical visuals and symbols to construct meaning" (5.CM.11). This is the grade level where students must able to find the missing value which makes a particular equation true (_+3=5). Also understanding the nature of ratios and their different forms is an important part of fifth grade curriculum. Students must also deal with decimals to the thousandth and be able to translate mathematical information into algebraic expressions, (5+y=12-what is y?) along with understanding positive and negative numbers in relation to their functions on the number line. Equations for perimeter, area and volume are introduced along with dealing with the degrees and nature of angles. Students must also master plotting points, lines, and shapes on a graph plane and be able to calculate the mean of data sets.

These standards are incredibly useful for a new teacher. Not only do they outline the specifics each student must master within his or her given grade level, but they also encourage new teachers to take more actions to engage their students with the material. By using strategies such as making students "State the problem in their own words," teachers give them a front seat to their own learning experience (3.PS.19). Forcing teachers to force students to engage ensures that there is more learning taking place, lasting learning that will help students apply mathematical concepts to the real world, and helps the students "Recognize the presence of mathematics in their daily lives," (2.CN.7). It is a great line to follow, especially for those new teachers who will be teaching at numerous grade levels. It helps teachers better understand where their students should be at in terms of mathematical mastery. These standards are very usable in the context of both the classroom and the real world.

Using real life applications in order to efficiently teach students math is definitely a step in the right direction. Current lesson plans don't allow students to take statistical data of the student's real world to use to make predictions -- only set up scenarios. These standards ask students to use math to understand physical and social phenomenon as well as mathematical problems. This allows students to relate to math in a whole new way. Using concepts they already understand and see on a daily basis makes math more approachable and less foreign than many would think if simply presented mathematical lessons in a book with little real life application examples. One example of this is the first grade standard to ask students "to recognize geometric shapes and structures in the environment," (1.G.5). The standards also rely heavily on utilizing different interpretations of explaining and digesting math, as seen in the use of drawings and objects to convey mathematical ideas. This keeps the child engaged and forces them to truly envelope themselves…