Why I Stopped Criticizing Common Core Math

Guest Post by Adrianne Meldrum at The Tutor House

One of my favorite scenes in Disney's Tangled is when Rapunzel makes the decision to leave her tower.  She isn't sure whether she should feel guilty or gleeful.  If you don't remember this scene (or just want to watch it again--because it's so awesome...watch below).


Tangled up in emotions.
I relate to those feelings oh so well when I look back at my experience with the Common Core Math Standards.

Much like Rapunzel, I was wide eyed and excited to learn about these math standards. I knew that because we were such a transient culture that it could help more children be at the same place academically when they moved to a new city. I was giddy at the idea that children were going to dig deeper into math as well.

Then my own children experienced Common Core Math.  (cue the scary music)  Suddenly, I felt myself getting angry at the way they were teaching my children to do math. I also felt like we were going against the way we were taught.  What was wrong with the way we were taught?

Math became  hard and confusing at times for my children and me. To make matters more complicated, I am a private math tutor. For goodness sake--I should be able to figure this stuff out! And honestly...I did, but it took some time and thinking. I wanted desperately to go back and have things stay the same.

One night, my son brought me his homework and he was marked wrong (yet again) even when his work was correct. After dealing with my frustrations, I realized what she was trying to teach my son something very important. She wanted him to attend to precision. The very skills that I demand in  my own students when they came to tutoring!

And so the pendulum swung for me this previous school year while I sorted out my feelings and own misconceptions about Common Core Math. I decided to confront some of my own thoughts and frustrations. I started to read Common Core Standards beyond the grades that I tutored.  I read the suggested pacing guide and got a more complete picture. While reading, I discovered something that teachers should be telling parents...the standard algorithm that we grew up using is in there! Imagine that. Starting in third grade, the standard algorithm shows up. Students are expected to know how to add and subtract the "old school" way.

"Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms

based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship

between addition and subtraction." (3.NBT.2)

I could feel the joy bubbling up inside of me. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for teachers and parents to know where we have been in grades previous and where we are heading. We need to see the full picture. I know that celebrities and comedians like to paint a picture of students using number parts and number lines as adults, (ahem--Stephen Colbert) and I laugh right along with them...because using those methods as an adult is crazy. The point is, the methods being taught in lower grades enables students to do mental math thus freeing up their mind to do harder mathematics. I spend a lot of time as a middle and high school math tutor waiting for a child to tell me what 6 x 8 equals. I've seen a change with some of my students that are younger. They have fluency with math facts whereas, the older students do not.

Common Core Math Mindset

To bring my feelings full circle, I made a choice to attend a mathematics conference this summer.  Phil Daro, the lead author of the Common Core Math Standards, was our keynote speaker. He made excellent points about the teaching children to be critical thinkers and less worried about answer getting. Our world needs more critical thinkers. He emphasized teaching math with this mindset:

You Do:  The student explores a problem and comes to conclusions on their own.

We Do:  The teacher leads a discussion about the conclusions students make. Students are encouraged to share their ideas and the teacher guides them towards the concept being taught.

I Do:  The teacher then steps in and teaches the mathematical concept and provides exercises for students to practice.

No matter what your feelings are about the Common Core Math Standards; it takes time for teachers, children, and parents to adjust. Even if you are hopeful that Common Core will just be a blip in history, we need to stop putting our heads in the sand and get comfortable with these ideas that are not new in any sense.

Educating Parents About Common Core Math

What can you do as a teacher to help implement and educate parents about common core math?

1.  Host a Parent Math Night
At the beginning of the year, show parents how Common Core Math is being taught to their children. Reassure them that the way they learned how to do math is being taught right along side other methods. Laura has a great free resource about how to host such a night like this. Download it here.

2.  Include Parents During Math
If you are having discussion about math with your students, don't be afraid to invite parents to come and watch so they can see the value in what you are teaching their children.  Specifically ask for volunteers to come to class during math as well!

3.  Give Parents a Math Glossary
I've seen many awesome math vocabulary packs on Teachers Pay Teachers, why not take it a step further and allow parents to have their own copy of math vocabulary in a glossary. Make sure the definitions also include examples so that parents can refer to the glossary when an issue arrives with homework.

4.  Provide Quality Articles and References
There are a lot of misleading images and articles floating around on the web. Parents are confused! Help them get some clarity by sharing articles and references that you've found are helpful. If you have a class website, provide an entire page dedicated to links that will help parents understand Common Core more fully. Here are some suggestions:

Americans Are Bad at Math, but It's Not Too Late to Fix It
Common Core Math Standards in Action
Truth About Common Core
The Common Core Savvy Quiz

Bottom line, implementation of Common Core Math Standards is key. If we don't take the time to properly educate and introduce parents to these standards, we will always be facing resistance.

What about you?  How have you educated parents?


Adrianne is a private tutor and creates materials for tutors and teachers alike.  She authors The Tutor House, a blog aimed at helping tutors run an effective business.

How to Introduce Decimals with Base Ten Blocks

There's a reason math teachers start the year by introducing or reviewing place value concepts. Understanding place value is essential to developing a solid foundation of mathematical understanding.

Introducing Place Value
Whether you're introducing whole number concepts or decimal place value, it's important to start at the concrete level, and base 10 blocks work perfectly because they are sized according to their value.

Even upper elementary students aren't too old for base 10 blocks. Primary teachers often use them to introduce whole numbers, but base 10 blocks are also effective with upper elementary students when exploring decimals. Kids have to understand that each place to the left is 10 times the size of the place to the right, and base 10 blocks are the best way to explore that concept.

How to Introduce Decimals with Base 10 Blocks
When introducing decimals, you can use the cubes to represent tens, the flats to represent ones, the rods for tenths, and the units for hundredths. I found that it's really important to create a place value mat (like the one shown above) for these lessons because it helps students remember what place is represented by each model. To create mats like the ones I used in my lesson, draw the 4-column chart above on a large sheet of heavy paper (18" x 24") and laminate it. Use a dry erase marker to draw a decimal point between the ones place and the tenths place. Or you can print the patterns in my Build a Number freebie to create the place value mat on 2 sheets of 8.5" by 11" paper.

Seat your students in teams of four and give each team one set of Base 10 manipulatives. It's best if each student has a dry erase board and marker, too. Ask your students to divide up the materials so that one person has the cubes, one has the flats, one has the rods, and one has the units. Introduce each piece and explain how it represents a particular decimal place. I explained that even though they had been taught that the "flat" was equal to 100, I wanted them to think of it as one whole... maybe one whole cake for a family of mice! If they sliced the cake into 10 parts, each part was 1/10 or 0.1. If they cut those 10 slices into 10 parts, each part was 1/100 or 0.01 of the whole.

Team Practice: Build a Decimal 
After you introduce the value of each part of the model, lead them through the "Build a Decimal" lesson. Start by writing a decimal in standard form on the board and asking students work to with their team to "build" that number on the team mat. You can make up your own numbers or use the Build a Decimal task cards provided in this freebie. After you check to make sure that they represented the number properly on the mat, ask students to write the word name and expanded form.

Expanded form is particularly difficult when representing decimals, and using base 10 manipulatives seems to help illustrate the concept. For example, it's easy to see that the number on the mat can be written as 20 + 4 + 0.6 + 0.09 because students can see each place represented with physical objects. The expanded form of this number could also be expressed as 20 + 4 + 6/10 + 9/100 or completely broken down to 20 + 4 + 6 x (1/10) + 9 x (1/100). All of those ways to express decimals are much more easily viewed when looking at a mat such as the one below. Students can also see that each place to the left is 10 times greater than the one on its right.

Place Value Games Combo

As with most math concepts, it's not enough to introduce them with hands-on materials and then move on to the next lesson. Kids have to practice the terminology and work with the concepts until they are fluent with them. That's where math games come in handy. These four place value games are bundled together in my Place Value Games Combo pack, which is great for 4th and 5th grade. My students enjoyed all of these activities, and they perfect for math centers and small group instruction.

Place Value Partners Game 
CCSS 2.NBT.A.3, 4.NBT.2, and 5.NBT.A.3
Place Value Partners is my most popular game for reviewing whole number and/or decimal place value. It's similar to Battleship, but students use a game board with lines for placing numbers and number cards instead of ships and a coordinate grid. See the image below to understand how the game is set up and played. The Sender calls out each digit, one at a time, and tells the Receiver where to place them. When all the numbers are in place, they compare their game boards, check the final number and write its standard form, word name, and expanded form in their math journals or on a recording page. The packet shown here includes four different variations of the game board to include everything from 4-digit whole numbers to decimals.

Bingo Showdown Decimal Review 
CCSS 5.NBT.3 and 5.NBT.4.
Decimal Place Value Bingo Showdown is a variation of the classic Bingo game that can be used for whole group instruction, small guided math groups, cooperative learning teams, or in learning centers. What more can I say? It's Bingo and kids love it!

Place Value Spinner Games 
CCSS 4.NBT.2 and 4.NBT.3
Another game my students enjoyed was the Spin 4 Cash Place Value Review Game. In this activity, students practice word names and expanded forms using task cards and a spinner. When they get a correct answer, they may spin for a certain amount of "math cash." I also created an international version called Spin 2 Win that awards tokens instead of cash.

I'm the Greatest - Comparing Numbers Game 
CCSS 2.NBT.4, 4.NBT.2, 5.NBT.3
The final game I want to share with you is I'm the Greatest, a simple activity for comparing numbers. The teacher can play against the class, or students can play against each other in cooperative learning teams. In this game, players attempt to create the largest number by placing randomly-selected numbers on a game board. There's a bit of luck involved, but in order to win, students have to be able to read word names and compare numbers accurately.

All four games are available from my TeachersPayTeachers store, either individually or as a part of the Place Value Game Combo. Even if you have already introduced place value concepts, these games make great review and practice activities throughout the year. You've heard that practice makes perfect, and that definitely applies to place value concepts. Plenty of place value practice is needed to make perfect!