InsightMath courses are designed around a small number of fundamental big ideas. Randall I. Charles (p. 10) defines a big idea as, “a statement of an idea that is central to the learning of mathematics, one that links numerous mathematical understandings into a coherent whole.” Our curricular design aims to root new learning in students’ existing schemas and to help them see mathematical concepts as an interconnected web of fundamental understandings.
Each unit of InsightMath identifies one big idea. There are common elements in the big ideas across mathematical domains, such as concepts of equal groups arising in big ideas related to place value, operations, fractions, and financial literacy. Common elements also present vertically, ensuring that new learning builds on existing schema. Tying student learning to big ideas helps them to see these connections among problems and topics that on the surface might seem unrelated and to develop a robust understanding of mathematics.
Each unit also identifies a few essential understandings that guide student learning toward the big idea. Each essential understanding describes the major learning for a cluster of lessons, and informs both the expected student outcomes for the cluster (called cluster outcomes) and formative assessment opportunities.
To learn more about how each grade level is organized, select your state and grade level:
InsightMath |
California |
Texas |
|
|
|
|
||
To learn more about InsightMath’s structure and organization, see the article Understanding the Structure of InsightMath.
Works Cited:
Charles, Randall I. “Big Ideas and Understandings as the Foundation for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics.” Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, vol. 8, no. 1, 2005, pp. 9-24. https://www.mathedleadership.org/docs/resources/journals/NCSMJournalVol8Num1Article2.pdf