Below is a brief description of each of the strands in the Middle Level Mathematics program. Problem Solving Mathematics should revolve around problems, questions, or concerns that students view as pertinent to their present world and that of the future. Problem solving is the avenue that generates excitement, challenge, and meaningfulness in mathematics. It is a vehicle for developing concepts. Many of the skills and strategies of problem solving should be individually explored and then applied to assist in solving a variety of problems.
Problem solving allows students to develop a perspective on daily life that includes mathematics.
It provides motivation for learning different techniques. The curriculum advocates that this is best accomplished by students searching for and understanding the many patterns and relationships among numbers. Being able to use mental calculation and estimation strategies is paramount. Critical is the understanding of the concepts of whole and rational numbers, and when to apply basic operations. Integers and negative rational numbers are introduced in the Middle Level curriculum.