Learning Within and Across Grade Levels At MIND Education, we believe that when we design learning to match how the brain learns, every student can thrive in math. To that end, InsightMath roots new learning in students’ existing schemas to help them see mathematical concepts as an interconnected web of fundamental understandings, or big ideas, that becomes both broader and more nuanced as students move through grade-level content.

Page contents: Unit Structure Cluster Structure Lesson Structure Workshop Time

Unit Structure

Each grade level of InsightMath contains approximately ten units, each focused on one big idea. Program components include the Digital Planning Guide, which contains all resources for every unit across all grade levels, as well as a printed Teaching Guide for each unit, allowing teachers to access resources needed to teach lessons while moving throughout their classroom. 

Each unit consists of the following:

Diagnostic assessment: Used to assess students’ readiness for the skills in the unit and identify gaps that will need to be supported as students engage in the unit Investigation: A lesson designed to allow students to playfully explore the unit’s big idea Clusters of Lessons: Lessons that share an essential understanding, allowing students and teachers to experience a connected arc of learning across multiple lessons Summative assessment: Where students showcase their mastery of mathematical content at the end of each unit

Unit structure in the Teaching Guide:

Cluster Structure

Lessons within units are grouped into clusters. Just as clusters within units work together to build the big idea of the unit, lessons within the same cluster work together to build the essential understanding of that cluster. 

Cluster outcomes detail the specific learnings that students will gain as they engage in the lessons within each cluster. Formative assessment opportunities are provided for each cluster that help teachers assess student understanding of each cluster outcome and provide suggestions for supporting students. 

Because lessons work together within clusters, we recommend that teachers plan one cluster of lessons at a time rather than one lesson at a time. The Digital Panning Guide provides the most comprehensive collection of resources to assist with planning; not all planning resources are printed in the Teaching

Lesson Structure

InsightMath lessons (and investigations) follow a consistent four-part structure. Here you can see each part, purpose, and timing by grade level. 

Note: Investigation parts are entitled Play, Investigate, Wonder, and Workshop Time.

Lesson structure in the Teaching Guide:

Workshop Time

Workshop Time is unique in that it consists of a menu of options for teachers to assign that can be completed at various times during the school day. Depending on the activities assigned, Workshop Time is expected to take at least 15 minutes and, if all activities are assigned, may take as long as 45 minutes. 

Students may work on different Workshop Time tasks simultaneously, either independently or in small groups. However, there are some activities where a whole-class discussion may be valuable (such as Goal or Thinking Path activities). Practice pages can also be assigned as homework.

Example Tasks:

 Workshop Task Prioritization:

Flexible timing:

*Table games in development.