Getting to Know Your Math Standards -

You may have read the title and thought “I’ve taught 5th grade for years, of course I know my standards.” Even a seasoned teacher can benefit from taking some time to analyze their math standards! In the following post, I have outlined the way I get to know the math standards that I teach.

Dissect the Standards

Let’s explore the following 5th grade standard (5.NBT.6 in the Common Core Standards):

Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

That’s a lot of words! You might be tempted to read just the words “Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors” and teach the standard algorithm for division. (hint: that’s not correct!)

Part of reading your math standards is to dissect them. Let’s look at each of the different parts of this standard:

“Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors[.]” This sentence tells you how many digits you’ll use and that the focus is on division.
“[Use] strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division.” Here are the strategies students will need to use to solve the division problems. Notice that the standard algorithm has not been included in the list of strategies, because it is part of the 6th grade standard.
“Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.” This tells us how students will need to justify their answers.

Knowing what your math standards say goes beyond simply reading them. Dissecting the different parts and understanding what they are saying is so important!

Explore Unpacking Documents

Many states provide unpacking documents to help you further dissect and understand your standards. These documents usually have:

A more detailed description of what each standard means
Key vocabulary students should know
Essential questions or “I can” statements
Examples of strategies listed in the standard

Unpacking documents can often be lengthy, but I recommend printing them out so you can write on them. When I am planning a new unit, I always go to the unpacking document and follow the same steps:

Highlight key information, such as the strategies that are used.
Make a list of key vocabulary that students will need to be familiar with.
Examine the examples provided and make sure I understand them.

Once I have gone through this process and understand the standards, I can begin planning my unit!

Choose Materials that Align to Standards

Once you know what your math standards really mean, it’s important to choose materials that align to those standards. Many textbooks include lessons that do not align correctly with standards, so simply following the textbook is never a good idea. (If your district or school requires you to follow a textbook with fidelity, I encourage you to point out the gaps in the program to your administration).

When choosing materials that align to standards, ask yourself:

Are these materials using the strategies mentioned in the standard and unpacking document?
Do these materials use strategies that should be used to teach the standard in a different grade level? (example: a 5th grade textbook that includes the standard algorithm for division, when that is a 6th grade standard)

Getting to know your standards can seem like a lengthy process at first. But doing so will help you to choose better materials and use strategies that will help your students to be more successful in math!

Looking for materials that have been designed to align to the Common Core Standards for math? Check out my MEGA practice resources for 4th and 5th grade!