Everyday Mathematics: An Overview of the Curriculum

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Name of the Curriculum and URL

This paper analyzes the Everyday Mathematics curriculum for seven different grade levels, from K to Grade 6 (K-6). Electronic versions of all curricula are available at Web (The University of Chicago, n.d.).

Authors

This program is authored by The University of Chicago, whose official Web site contains instructional materials for all ages within K-6. The publisher for the curricula is McGraw Hill, which is responsible for the printing and electronic layout of the materials.

The Topic of the Curriculum

The general theme of the curricula is the study of mathematics in everyday educational practice. The manuals offer specific lesson topics and instructional planning. Moreover, they offer guidance on topics such as arithmetic operations and calculations, differentiation for classes based on students’ skills, characteristics, and ages, and opportunities to use technology in the classroom to streamline the learning process (Rashidov, 2020). Each of the seven curricula offered outlines guidelines for different student ages, focusing on increasing the complexity of the topics being taught.

Grade level(s) for Which Curriculum Is Designed

The University of Chicago and McGraw Hill offer guides for seven levels, from K to Grade 6, so every teacher can find suitable material for the grade level.

Purpose of the Curriculum

According to the official statement, the purpose of this curriculum is “to provide professional development to schools that implement Everyday Mathematics” (The University of Chicago, n.d., para. 2). Expanding on this statement, the purpose of this curriculum is to provide the teacher with valuable resources and standards that can be used when planning an age-appropriate lesson. It allows for systematic planning and optimizes the teacher’s effort to create classroom structure.

Objectives of the Curriculum

An analysis of the curriculum shows that the materials consistently cite the Common Core State Standards-Mathematics (CCSS-M) standards, which vary depending on the age for which the program is intended. Each standard has a specific code (K.CC.1, 2.0A.B) used throughout the curriculum. In addition, each curriculum contains a “Correlation to the Standards for Mathematics” section in which The University of Chicago details each standard used and links to the lessons in which the standard is implemented.

Specific Lesson Plans Provided by the Curriculum

Everyday Mathematics provides specific syllabi for each age, depending on the standard the teacher is developing in students in that lesson. For example, for Grade 1, in Unit 5, “Children review the meaning of the = symbol and are introduced to the > and < relation symbols” (The University of Chicago, 2020b, p. 382). This suggests specific practices for each lesson and indicates where these practices can be found, including specific pages. This includes both online and offline materials linked to the textbook. Such solid organization and structure allow these programs to be viewed as reliable, especially considering a credible CCSS-M.

Substantial Teacher Materials for Classroom Use Provided by the Curriculum

Everyday Mathematics curricula include a wealth of materials that the teacher can use at their discretion in the classroom. This usually refers to references to specific textbooks, games, and educational practices that can be used in the classroom. From this perspective, the program does provide the teacher with enhanced instructional materials, including regular spaces for notes that the professional can leave during lesson planning.

The Skill Development Provided by the Program

The skills offered for development in Everyday Mathematics vary widely depending on the student’s age and are defined by the CCSS-M standards. However, when looking at the overall list of skills the programs focus on, Everyday Mathematics develops skills for connecting to life situations, teamwork, critical thinking, conceptual thinking, and building continuity of experience, in addition to the basic skills of arithmetic, geometry, and logic (UCSMP, 2019).

Customizability of the Curriculum

The curriculum does not allow lessons to be adapted or specific elements to be changed, nor does it allow lessons to be skipped. For example, The University of Chicago reports that “do not skip over lessons or teach out of order. Try your hardest to do all lessons with fidelity” (The University of Chicago, n.d., para. 6). On the other hand, it is also reported that “they were designed to be flexible… The EM authors recognized that no two teachers will use the materials in the same way” (The University of Chicago, 2021, para. 2). Consequently, there is no consensus on the flexibility of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum.

Online Elements for Students Provided by the Curriculum

Everyday Mathematics contains a section that offers the teacher a list of online resources. Resources include academic projects, lesson planning tools, games, and access to relevant classroom data (The University of Chicago, 2020a). Including visual statistics that show the dynamics of individual students or the class are available to the teacher. However, other than information about which agencies provide the functionality of the virtual platform, Everyday Mathematics does not report any specific strategies for the cybersecurity of data, including students’ data.

Pre-Assessments Provided by the Program

Everyday Mathematics offers tools for pre-assessment, namely the Pre-Unit Assessment. Each learning material (K through Grade 6) includes relevant information that allows the teacher to decide how to use the pre-assessment. Pre-assessment also applies to the learning process: the online tools regularly inform the teacher of progress and indicate whether it is acceptable to refer to the following units in the textbook if the previous units have not been completed.

Student Tracking and Remediation Provided by the Program

Every Everyday Mathematics lesson is designed to notice and reward the achievements of students who perform well (The University of Chicago, 2019). Meanwhile, the curriculum also allows them to track their academic progress; more specifically, each program features a “Progress Check” lesson in which the teacher conducts periodic assessments of student knowledge. This includes checklists, both paper and virtual, that the teacher can maintain at their discretion to track student progress. If mistakes or academic regression are detected, the teacher detects this and makes corrections as they see fit.

The Theoretical and Philosophical Approach of the Program

The philosophy behind the creation of Everyday Mathematics is based on the desire to ensure the most effective transfer of student knowledge from theory to practical situations; for this reason, many life examples are used in lessons (UCSMP, 2019). Everyday Mathematics provides a comprehensive approach, covering multiple standards in a single lesson. In doing so, all developments are based on past research from various countries, which implements a philosophical, fact-based approach.

Teachers Training Provided by the Program

Given the comprehensiveness and diversity of curriculum elements, The University of Chicago (UChicago STEM) provides teacher training focused on familiarity with Everyday Mathematics models. This includes an Online PD program, upon completion of which the teacher receives a certificate of completion (The University of Chicago, n.d.). In addition, the training is implemented through a virtual community where instructional materials are available to the teacher.

Assessments Provided by the Program

As part of the instructional materials, Everyday Mathematics offers many assessment tools that can be used at the teacher’s discretion. This includes options for formative and summative assessments, including on current knowledge or an intermediate basis. The essential tools are on a virtual platform where the teacher can assess student assignments, flag incorrect answers, and record progress.

Implementability of the Program

If a school has not previously been familiar with Everyday Mathematics practices and CCSS-M standards, the initial implementation of this curriculum will be highly challenging, given the complexity of the lessons and the multiplicity of added information. Although Everyday Mathematics details all the standards and curriculum information, these programs will be challenging for a teacher unfamiliar with Everyday Mathematics. That is why UChicago STEM trains professionals in the Online PD program to familiarize them with the standards and optimize their implementation.

Differentiation of Teaching and Learning Provided by the Program

The official Everyday Mathematics website has a differentiation section; each teaching material includes relevant print information (The University of Chicago, n.d.; The University of Chicago, 2020b). Teaching differentiation includes a report on the range of specific skills that students have so that the teacher can make decisions about students falling behind in the program, information on adjusting activities to work with students who fall behind, and information that may apply to multi-age classes. In addition, Everyday Mathematics also applies to ELLs, which helps differentiate instruction.

Critical Thinking Skills Addressed by the Curriculum

Developing students’ critical thinking is one of the cornerstones of Everyday Mathematics. Thus, UCSMP (2019) reports the missions of Everyday Mathematics: “move from a nearly exclusive emphasis on naked number calculation to developing conceptual understanding and problem-solving” and “build fact power through daily oral practice” (para. 3). Among other things, the standards for Grade 6 include critical thinking skills: “students think critically about how the graph’s features” (The University of Chicago, 2022c, p. 11).

The Overall Analysis and Additional Comments Regarding the Program

Everyday Mathematics seems to have been created as a comprehensive practice of learning mathematics for young students, and using research evidence as a foundation for curricula allows for confidence in the reliability and validity of the materials. However, the first introduction to Everyday Mathematics can seem overwhelming, as the unprepared reader encounters a great deal of added information. Optimal use of the syllabus requires understanding its structure and familiarity with CCSS-M standards; otherwise, instruction will not be systematic and organized. Thus, Everyday Mathematics is an excellent classroom use program that requires extensive teacher preparation.

References

Rashidov, A. (2020). Use of differentiation technology in teaching Mathematics. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences, 8(7), 163-167.

The University of Chicago. (2019). Assessment FAQs [PDF document]. Web.

The University of Chicago. (2020a). Everyday Mathematics[PDF document]. Web.

The University of Chicago. (2020b). Everyday Mathematics[PDF document]. Web.

The University of Chicago. (2020c). Everyday Mathematics [PDF document]. Web.

The University of Chicago. (2021). Everyday Mathematics is grounded in an extensive body of research into how children learn. Resource and Information Center. Web.

The University of Chicago. (n.d.). Differentiation. Resource and Information Center. Web.

The University of Chicago. (n.d.). Everyday mathematics. Resource and Information Center. Web.

The University of Chicago. (n.d.). Pacing and planning. Resource and Information Center. Web.

The University of Chicago. (n.d.). Professional development. Resource and Information Center. Web.

The University of Chicago. (n.d.). Teaching topics. Resource and Information Center. Web.

UCSMP. (2019). Everyday Mathematics overview. The University of Chicago Schools Mathematics Project. Web.

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