Curriculum Plan Reflection

I learned that the math curriculum, at least for grade 5, is structured in a way that builds so students can constantly be using prior knowledge and understanding of concepts to new ones.  I also learned the wide variety of tasks you can give students.  Some can include modeling; and others do not need to.  Within the tasks you give students, the questions you ask can vary based on the student's level of understanding.  More complex questions that bring in more understanding of the concept can be asked to students who are at a high level of understanding.  Other students may need to work with modeling more and develop a stronger understanding of the concept.  There is a way to incorporate each of the CMP's and Process Standards in a quarter, and especially throughout the year.  One of the biggest things I learned by doing a curriculum plan is that when students are able to critique one another, their own work, and state precisely why, they show their deep understanding of the concept so it is important that students do this throughout their years in school while learning math so the concepts can build on each other.

I learned that each grade's curriculum is designed to build on the previous.  Each offers foundational skills, but as they get into the upper grades, they are constantly building on what they already know how to do.  They learn multiplication between single digit numbers, then they learn how to multiply multi-digit whole numbers.  Then, they take those skills they learned to multiply decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers.  The same goes with addition- students learn addition at a very young age but they are able to apply that concept to basically everything they do past that.  The curriculum is based in a way that repeated reasoning is found throughout the Common Core standards and each grade level.  Each of the presentations included different ways that students will need to know prior knowledge and how the SMP's and Process Standards are incorporated in their plans.  This was important for everyone to include because students must be engaged in both of these in order to develop a deep understanding of the concepts.  They each built on one another year-to-year and the skills they learn at a young age are carried throughout each of the plans and across the curriculum.