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The City School District of Albany's
Mathematics Program incorporates the
nationally known Math Trailblazers K-5 material and the Connected
Mathematics 6-8 material to teach math to Albany's students and to
align the K-12 math curriculum to the New York State standards.
Math Trailblazers
is based on the beliefs that:
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The
organized investigation of everyday situations is an ideal setting
for learning math;
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All
students deserve a richer and more challenging curriculum;
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A
balanced and practical approach to math learning is what students
need.
Features of
Math Trailblazers
Math Trailblazers is an elementary math curriculum for schools that want
their math programs to reflect the goals and ideas of the NCTM
Principles and Standards, which are:
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A
curriculum that is mathematically challenging, coherent, and covers
a broad range of math content;
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A strong
focus on engaging students in math problem solving;
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Instruction that is conceptually oriented and stresses thinking,
reasoning, and applying;
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Appropriate uses of calculators and computers;
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A strong
commitment to promoting success in math among all students--not
merely those who traditionally have done well.
Problem
Solving
A fundamental principle of Math Trailblazers is that math is best
learned through active involvement in solving real problems. Questions a
student can answer immediately may be worthwhile exercises, but
problems, by definition, are difficult. Perhaps the biggest difference
between Math Trailblazers and traditional math programs is the pervasive
emphasis on problem solving.
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Students
apply the math they already know;
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Students
develop new math as needed;
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As
students solve complex problems, they develop skills, procedures,
and learn concepts.
Using Math
Trailblazers, students become powerful math thinkers. They will know how
and when to apply the math they have learned in a wide variety of
contexts.
High
Expectations and Equity
Experience in schools has shown that children can handle more difficult
math and science than is most often assumed. Accordingly, Math
Trailblazers introduces challenging content in every grade: Computation,
measurement, data collection, statistics, geometry, ratio, probability,
simple algebra, estimation, mental arithmetic, and patterns and
relationships.
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