Our district is in the process of deciding a new math series for next year. We have went to other schools and have seen Scott Foresman (Diamond Edition) and Everyday Mathematics. I guess it has come down to these two, along with Investigations (which we haven't seen yet). What are the pros and cons of other teachers who work with these series? We are to decide November 30th on which one we are to choose. Scott Foresman is sending us samples of Investigations to look at. Please post any comments on any of these programs.
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New Math Curriculum
- Thread starter ShellieG
- Start date
T
TeacherBB
Guest
scott foresman
My district uses SF and does not use the Investigations component. I do however have two manuals from Investigations and think they are great ways to supplement. I LOVE the SF program though. It has great ancillary materials and an online component that the students love and use regularly.
My district uses SF and does not use the Investigations component. I do however have two manuals from Investigations and think they are great ways to supplement. I LOVE the SF program though. It has great ancillary materials and an online component that the students love and use regularly.
Investigations
Our district adopted Investigations this year from k-8. I used the first version about 6 years ago, it had a lot of holes. This new version has a lot more the of basic math practice embedded, which was the problem with the first series. It takes about 1 year of practice to understand why & how the series is set up. I have seen some of investigations being implemented, but then you might miss certain supporting components later on.
The district I came from held summer intensive workshops for about 2 weeks. It helped to understand how to implement and address possible issues that would come up in the classroom. The district I am in now doesn't have the money and is to large to hold these types of workshops. Hence, I see a resistance towards the adoption.
I'm not pro or con any math adopted material, but I believe that whatever is adopted should be used as developed. And supplement any "holes" you may find with something else.
By the way our other choice for math adoption was Everyday Math. It was turned down because it didn't address all of the math standards.
Our district adopted Investigations this year from k-8. I used the first version about 6 years ago, it had a lot of holes. This new version has a lot more the of basic math practice embedded, which was the problem with the first series. It takes about 1 year of practice to understand why & how the series is set up. I have seen some of investigations being implemented, but then you might miss certain supporting components later on.
The district I came from held summer intensive workshops for about 2 weeks. It helped to understand how to implement and address possible issues that would come up in the classroom. The district I am in now doesn't have the money and is to large to hold these types of workshops. Hence, I see a resistance towards the adoption.
I'm not pro or con any math adopted material, but I believe that whatever is adopted should be used as developed. And supplement any "holes" you may find with something else.
By the way our other choice for math adoption was Everyday Math. It was turned down because it didn't address all of the math standards.
Adoption Plan
Yes, please tell me about your adoption plan. It would be really nice to have when we decide on the series we choose. Have you heard anything about the Scott Foresman Envisions series? I guess it is really new (came out recently) and it is supposed to be a combination of both the Diamond Edition and Investigations? I am not really sure. I know the Intermediate teachers in my building want Scott Foresman, but now to decide between Diamond Edition, Investigations, and Envisions, along with Everyday Mathematics.
Yes, please tell me about your adoption plan. It would be really nice to have when we decide on the series we choose. Have you heard anything about the Scott Foresman Envisions series? I guess it is really new (came out recently) and it is supposed to be a combination of both the Diamond Edition and Investigations? I am not really sure. I know the Intermediate teachers in my building want Scott Foresman, but now to decide between Diamond Edition, Investigations, and Envisions, along with Everyday Mathematics.
A
AnnieF
Guest
Everyday Math
My school adopted Everyday Math this year. They rolled it out to all grades K-5 at once. Most of our 7 fifth grade math teachers really don't like it. You MUST finish the two teacher guide books within one year in order to be successful. The book says to do one lesson a day. It takes me two days to do a lesson. I am already so behind. There isn't enough time to practice. They don't want the kids to take it home outside of a "study link" they do with their parents. Parents who have three kids are going crazy because they are spending an hour and a half a night trying to do study links with all three kids. The concepts are introduced but there isn't any practise on them. The kids don't retain what they have been exposed to. (Notice I didn't say learned. They don't learn it, they are exposed and you move on.) At this point, I give it a big thumbs down. It is also HEAVILY scripted.
On the good side, there is some good stuff in there if only there was time for the kids to practice. The pace is so fast that if you teach it the way they suggest you only do a few problems and move on. I would suggest staying away from this one.
My school adopted Everyday Math this year. They rolled it out to all grades K-5 at once. Most of our 7 fifth grade math teachers really don't like it. You MUST finish the two teacher guide books within one year in order to be successful. The book says to do one lesson a day. It takes me two days to do a lesson. I am already so behind. There isn't enough time to practice. They don't want the kids to take it home outside of a "study link" they do with their parents. Parents who have three kids are going crazy because they are spending an hour and a half a night trying to do study links with all three kids. The concepts are introduced but there isn't any practise on them. The kids don't retain what they have been exposed to. (Notice I didn't say learned. They don't learn it, they are exposed and you move on.) At this point, I give it a big thumbs down. It is also HEAVILY scripted.
On the good side, there is some good stuff in there if only there was time for the kids to practice. The pace is so fast that if you teach it the way they suggest you only do a few problems and move on. I would suggest staying away from this one.
dmamec
Senior Member
It is critical to have good staff development with Everyday Math. The series is tricky because you are NOT supposed to teach all skills to mastery; some are only meant to be developing skills. If you spend too much time on these lessons, you will run out of time. Bad or insufficient staff development is what tends to lead most teachers to dislike it. We have had it for 5 years, had excellent staff development (K-6) and we have seen the number of kids qualifying for advanced math in 7th grade triple.
Most of the time the program (whether Investigations, EM, whatever) isn't as much of the issue as the teacher's delivery and the district's support and training opportunities.
that being said--we turned down Investigations b/c we thought the activities were EXCELLENT but insufficient--there wasn't enough balance of the "theory" and the practice.
Most of the time the program (whether Investigations, EM, whatever) isn't as much of the issue as the teacher's delivery and the district's support and training opportunities.
that being said--we turned down Investigations b/c we thought the activities were EXCELLENT but insufficient--there wasn't enough balance of the "theory" and the practice.
M
mom on the go
Guest
Foresman Math
This has to be one of the worst programs that I have seen for elementay students.From experience our kids have went from happy fun loving children who love school,to crying,throughing tantrums when it comes to this math.Check the webpages for this math program,people are suing school districts to have it removed from their childs classroom
This has to be one of the worst programs that I have seen for elementay students.From experience our kids have went from happy fun loving children who love school,to crying,throughing tantrums when it comes to this math.Check the webpages for this math program,people are suing school districts to have it removed from their childs classroom
M
Mindy5442
Guest
Math Adoption Help
Our school is looking into adopting a new math curriculum as well and would love to get specifics about your adoption process!!!! Any ideas/thoughts are greatly appreciated!!
Our school is looking into adopting a new math curriculum as well and would love to get specifics about your adoption process!!!! Any ideas/thoughts are greatly appreciated!!
S
shanpar
Guest
Investigations
Our district has recently adopted the Envisions math series. It is brand new and as a result has a lot of quirks. One of the positives about it is that it will (if your district is big enough) make a version for your state with your standards not only addressed but actually printed on the student materials as part of the objective. They also have a great technology component that once the quirks are worked out can be a great asset to you and your students. However it does take time on the teachers part to use it to it's full potential. I use the technology piece and some of the components to supplement Investigations instruction.
I use the new version of investigations for my core instruction and supplement with the envisions. One reason that investigations is either loved or hated by teachers is that it requires two critical ingredients to completely successful. The first is a teacher with a firm understanding of the process in which students learn mathematics (or at least willing to put in the time to read and study to learn it.) The second is appropriate guidance from that teacher during student work time. The key to investigations is that math concepts are presented in such a way that students explore and build their own understanding of the concept. The role of the teacher is key in facilitating student conversations and development of the concepts. The focus is on main mathematical concepts such as number sense and building a strong foundation in those concepts. Students correctly taught the investigations method will be better prepared for learning more complex math skills. It is true that some standards are not covered in the investigations units and supplementation is necessary. Scott forseman and envisions are easier on the teachers not necessarily best for the students. One plus in investigations with the scary school budget situations many of us are facing is that you do not need to buy consumables every year. You make the games and have black line masters for all student materials. Good luck in your adoption.
Our district has recently adopted the Envisions math series. It is brand new and as a result has a lot of quirks. One of the positives about it is that it will (if your district is big enough) make a version for your state with your standards not only addressed but actually printed on the student materials as part of the objective. They also have a great technology component that once the quirks are worked out can be a great asset to you and your students. However it does take time on the teachers part to use it to it's full potential. I use the technology piece and some of the components to supplement Investigations instruction.
I use the new version of investigations for my core instruction and supplement with the envisions. One reason that investigations is either loved or hated by teachers is that it requires two critical ingredients to completely successful. The first is a teacher with a firm understanding of the process in which students learn mathematics (or at least willing to put in the time to read and study to learn it.) The second is appropriate guidance from that teacher during student work time. The key to investigations is that math concepts are presented in such a way that students explore and build their own understanding of the concept. The role of the teacher is key in facilitating student conversations and development of the concepts. The focus is on main mathematical concepts such as number sense and building a strong foundation in those concepts. Students correctly taught the investigations method will be better prepared for learning more complex math skills. It is true that some standards are not covered in the investigations units and supplementation is necessary. Scott forseman and envisions are easier on the teachers not necessarily best for the students. One plus in investigations with the scary school budget situations many of us are facing is that you do not need to buy consumables every year. You make the games and have black line masters for all student materials. Good luck in your adoption.