What's the Big Idea Anyway?

Well, in math, there are 5 really big ideas:

Measurement.
Patterning and Algebra.

Geometry and Spatial Sense.

Number Sense and Numeration.

Data Management and Probability.

But we can't stop there.

Let's say I want to teach my class 'Number Sense and Numeration'. Well, that still a pretty big umbrella, so I have to ask myself, "where do I want to start?" Maybe I think up a really neat lesson for division (including fractions and fair sharing). I want kids to practice combining and partitioning methods. Now we can begin planning the lesson because we have clear guidelines for our plan - and any lesson that may be enticing us from cyber space because it has cute frogs on it - well. We need to look through the lens that we have created and be critical of what is out there.


~authored by: Sandra Cater~