Many teachers who teach at the K–8 level have not had the luxury of specialist training in mathematics, yet are expected to teach an increasingly sophisticated curriculum to an increasingly diverse student population in a climate where there are heightened public expectations. Making Math Meaningful, 3rd Edition is designed to support you in teaching mathematics in the Canadian K-8 classroom by providing you with insight into how to make mathematics make sense to students and how to capture their interest.

Author Marian Small combines her wealth of research and practical experience to give you the confidence to teach mathematics with a student-centered, problem-solving approach. You will be better able to let students explore because you will have a deeper understanding of the mathematics, which will make it easier for you to deal with students’ varied ideas.

You will be better able to focus discussion in your classroom because you will be more aware of possible misconceptions and of what aspects of the mathematics are worthy of development. You will also be better able to critically evaluate other people’s ideas about how to approach mathematics instruction because you will be starting with a well-founded base of knowledge. More than that, this text can serve as a resource to which you will return again and again when you are ready to focus on particular content or particular strategies.

Chapter 1: How Students Learn Math and What Math We Want Them to Learn
Chapter 2: Focusing Instruction on Big Ideas and Mathematical Processes
Chapter 3: Assessment and Evaluation
Chapter 4: Planning Instruction
Chapter 5: A Focus on Problem Solving
Chapter 6: A Focus on Communication
Chapter 7: Early Numbers
Chapter 8: Early Operations
Chapter 9: Developing Fact Fluency
Chapter 10: Representing Larger Whole Numbers
Chapter 11: Estimation and Calculation Strategies with Larger Whole Numbers
Chapter 12: Fractions
Chapter 13: Decimals
Chapter 14: Ration and Proportion
Chapter 15: Extending the Number System to Negative and Irrational Numbers
Chapter 16: Patterns and Algebra
Chapter 17: 3-D and 2-D Shapes
Chapter 18: Location and Movement
Chapter 19: The Nature of Measurement, and a Focus on Length and Area
Chapter 20: Capacity, Volume, Mass, Time, Temperature, and Angles
Chapter 21: Data
Chapter 22: Probability

Many teachers who teach at the K–8 level have not had the luxury of specialist training in mathematics, yet are expected to teach an increasingly sophisticated curriculum to an increasingly diverse student population in a climate where there are heightened public expectations. Making Math Meaningful, 3rd Edition is designed to support you in teaching mathematics in the Canadian K-8 classroom by providing you with insight into how to make mathematics make sense to students and how to capture their interest. Author Marian Small combines her wealth of research and practical experience to give you the confidence to teach mathematics with a student-centered, problem-solving approach. You will be better able to let students explore because you will have a deeper understanding of the mathematics, which will make it easier for you to deal with students’ varied ideas. You will be better able to focus discussion in your classroom because you will be more aware of possible misconceptions and of what aspects of the mathematics are worthy of development. You will also be better able to critically evaluate other people’s ideas about how to approach mathematics instruction because you will be starting with a well-founded base of knowledge. More than that, this text can serve as a resource to which you will return again and again when you are ready to focus on particular content or particular strategies. A new, separate chapter has been included with regards to the acquisition of number facts The text features expanded attention to solving proportions, including visual models, more detailed information on integers to encompass order of operations, exponents, and irrational numbers, and significant changes related to new perspectives of fraction instruction. Significant changes were brought forth in the pattern and algebra chapter, with greater attention to the link between pattern and algebra, and more material with respect to algebra. Activities and ideas for teaching mathematics, along with sample responses showing how students typically answer, in order to help teachers understand what they will see in the classroom are included throughout the text. The text contains charts with common errors and misconceptions, along with strategies to deal with them for each content topic. The In a Nutshell feature helps you focus on the main ideas presented in each chapter Teaching Tips are presented throughout the text, and reflect the type of advice an experienced teacher may offer MindTap for Making Math Meaningful is a personalized teaching experience with engaging assignments that help students connect concepts to the real world. Critical thinking is encouraged through analysis, application, and reflection.