Our mathematics curriculum is designed to develop strong math proficiency in all our students and culminates in the seventh and eighth grades with the study of algebra. At Children’s Day School we teach math the way children learn it best—through hands-on experiences with a variety of materials. We bring mathematics to life by making it an integral part of the whole school curriculum, rather than teaching it as an isolated subject.
On a typical day at CDS, math activities might include:
- preschoolers experimenting with math manipulatives such as Unifix cubes, Cuisenaire rods, pattern blocks, peg boards and geoboards
- fourth graders using multicolored tiles to explore the concept of fractions
- sixth graders calculating the speed of water drainage on a watershed model
- eighth graders creating fractals (geometric shapes that appear similar at all scales of magnification)
In preschool, skills developed by students include:
- sorting by size, shape and color
- counting objects and expressing relative size
- developing concepts of addition and subtraction through blocks and math manipulatives
In the elementary grades, skills developed by students include:
- solving mathematical story problems and graphing weather
- creating number patterns and patterning on a grid
- learning place value and adding and subtracting with large numbers
- understanding variables, estimating, and multiplying and dividing with large numbers
- writing equations using negative and positive numbers, fractions and decimals
In middle school, skills developed by students include:
- strengthening number sense (error detection, fractions, mental math)
- enhancing computation skills (fractions, multiplying multiple digits, calculating percents)
- experimenting with probability and statistics and writing equations using ratio and percents
- reading maps and analyzing results of scientific experiments
- learning algebraic formulas and using graphing calculators and technology in math
- exploring Euclidean geometry and Boolean algebra