NCTM Standards

A question that naturally arises is: What do the Curriculum Focal Points have to do with the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics? The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics answers that identifying areas of emphasis at each grade level is the next step in implementing the principles and standards. Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten Through Grade 8 "provides one possible response to the question of how to organize curriculum standards within a coherent, focused curriculum, by showing how to build on important mathematical content and connections identified for each grade level, pre-K–8" (NCTM, 2006, p. 12).

The Curriculum Focal Points draw on the content standards described in the Principles and Standards, at times clustering several topics in one focal point. Also, the process standards are pivotal to well-grounded instruction, for, according to the Curriculum Focal Points for Grade 5, “it is essential that these focal points be addressed in contexts that promote problem solving, reasoning, communication, making connections, and designing and analyzing representations."

This Middle School Portal publication offers resources that will support you in teaching the key mathematical areas identified for grade 5. In particular, we aimed to provide visual and interactive models for division and place value, for addition and subtraction of fractions and decimals, and for three-dimensional shapes. These resources also provide opportunities for developing understanding of concepts underpinning standard procedures in arithmetic and measurement as well as for developing fluency with those procedures.

A description of the Focal Points for grade 5 is found at http://www.nctm.org/standards/focalpoints.aspx?id=334&ekmensel=c580fa7b_10_52_334_7

Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten Through Grade 8: A Quest for Coherence may be viewed in its entirety at http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=270

NCTM. (2006). Curriculum Focal Points for Kindergarten Through Grade 8 Mathematics: A Quest for Coherence. Reston, VA: Author

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Copyright March 2008 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.