Mathematics - Elementary
Welcome to Elementary Mathematics
Mission Statement
The mission of the Elementary Math Department is to promote the learning of mathematics by all students through the curriculum that is coherent and comprehensive. The instructional program will enable all students to understand and use mathematics in an increasingly technological world.
Curriculum
The Grand Prairie ISD Elementary Math Department's curriculum is based upon the Texas State Standards, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Our lessons are designed to support those standards.
Components of Math
The Grand Prairie ISD Elementary Math Department believes that a comprehensive math program includes the following components:
- Problem Solving
- Academic Vocabulary
- Conceptual Development
- Numerical Fluency
GPISD Elementary Math Instruction includes:
- Problem Solving- A short portion of the math block (10-15 min) in which students are actively engaged in solving a challenging mathematics problem using the GPISD Elementary Math Problem Solving Mat followed by student facilitated discussions about strategies used to solve the problem.
- Conceptual Development - The portion of the 90 minute math block that is devoted to on grade level instruction of the math curriculum (30-45 min).
- Guided Math - The portion of the math block which focuses on remediating, enriching, and/or accelerating math skills. The teacher provides small group instruction based upon the students' instructional plan, while other students work independently or in groups at workstations designed to support current instruction. (30-45 min)
Elementary Math Problem Solving
In GPISD students in grades PK-5 engage in rigorous, purposeful problem-solving every day for at least 15 minutes in their math classrooms. Math classroom environments are designed to support and encourage analyzing real life problem situations, planning, using strategies, creating and using representations, solving, explaining processes used, and justifying and evaluating solutions for reasonableness. Students are taught and expected to communicate their mathematical thinking using academic math language.
PK-K classrooms have floor sized problem solving graphic organizers so that students may gather around the mat to work out the problems, acting them out and/or representing with manipulatives and pictorial representations. The mats are made out of a wipe-off material so that the teacher can record the students' thinking. Grade 1 classrooms have poster-sized wipe-off mats serving the same purpose. The ultimate purpose of the graphic organizer is to provide the students as they progress through their math education with a visual mapping that they are able to recall and use as they encounter rigorous problems. The completed graphic organizers are not designed to be the end-means of this process. The higher-level thinking that the mat helps to guide is the desired outcome.