Teachers strive to help students see the mathematical connections in other content areas by integrating arithmetic concepts into the rest of the curriculum. Children are expected to develop an ability to think and reason mathematically so that they can apply skills to real world problems and so that they can communicate their thinking as a part of the problem solving process. Middle The middle school program builds on and extends the concepts presented in the elementary school. The curriculum in grades six through eight emphasizes problem-solving situations relevant to middle school students and focuses on the applications of mathematics. Cooperative learning activities encourage students to work together to solve problems and to communicate with each other about mathematical concepts.
Students have many opportunities to share ideas and demonstrate their reasoning abilities.
Writing about how they approached and solved a math problem reinforces mathematical skills and processes. A broad range of topics is taught, including number theory, computation, estimation, functions, algebra, statistics, probability, geometry and measurement. Instruction focuses on integrating the topics and emphasizes the connections rather than presenting them in isolation. The interdisciplinary team organization of the school helps students understand the importance and uses of math in other subjects. Technology, including calculators and computers, is used to free students from tedious and previously learned computations and allows them to concentrate on math content and explore problem solving strategies.