Engage New York, our math curriculum, may be different from what you remember learning in school. You will probably notice two main differences: first, students learn to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in many creative ways before learning the traditional methods. The second difference is a picture-based problem-solving system called Read-Draw-Write (tape diagrams). We teachers have found a dramatic improvement in students' understanding of mathematics concepts since we started Engage New York several years ago, especially as students enter late elementary school.
Engage New York, based on the Common Core State Standards, ensures that students understand a concept instead of simply memorizing how to do it. The best way to help your child with math is to let him or her explain their reasoning to you. We learn all of our math strategies at school by showing, practicing, and talking about them. The key to understanding math is being able to explain WHY you did something.
Students in fourth grade WILL have math homework every week in the form of a word problem and a review page, but they will NOT have Engage New York homework. Feel free to help your child with his or her math homework, but please encourage your child to show the work done to solve the problem. If your child does not understand a problem, or continues to get it wrong, simply make a note of it on the homework page and we will work on it the next day at school. Seeing an incorrect or incomplete answer is very helpful to a teacher - it gives me the chance to help a student right where they need it.
Please call or email me if you have questions or concerns about our math curriculum or math homework.