Everyday Math/Connected Math

[David Colon]

Does anyone have any experience with the Everyday Math or Connected Math series? Any observations about each of their respective strengths and weaknesses?

[Deborah]

Hi David, We use Everyday for grades K - 5 at my school. Our 4th graders, overall, always perform very well on the CTP math and logic sections. We like how Everyday encourages the students to think about problems in a "non-traditional" way and build an understanding of why problems are solved the way they are rather than just giving them the formula or methods for solving. However, we do have to supplement the curriculum at every grade level with more enrichment for those students who are able to master the concepts easily. We also require that students use the "traditional" methods of long division and multiplication by the time they exit 5th grade.
Debi

[David Colon]

Deborah, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm glad to hear that Everyday Math is working for you and your school. I agree with your assessment that the program really allows kids to think out math problems. We've struggled a bit with finding the right supplements, however. I'd be curious to know if you have any specific resources that you use in that regard.

Interestingly enough, I think we've found that both students who struggle and students who grasp things easily get tripped up in Everyday. They have very different sets of issues, but still... I'm not sure why that is the case, but we're looking into it.

[Deborah]

We use enrichment from the Exemplars program for K - 3 and will probably adopt it for grades 4 & 5 next year. http://www.exemplars.com/materials/math/index.html.

[David Colon]

Thanks for the link!