Units and Big Ideas in Grade 5 of InsightMath Texas
Unit 0 (Doing Mathematics) sets the foundation for this course by establishing routines, process skills, and mindsets essential for success in learning mathematics.
In Unit 1 (Extending Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction with Decimals) students extend their understanding of the relationship between adjacent place values in whole numbers to decimals. They use this understanding to also extend their strategies for addition and subtraction to decimals, to explore the impact of multiplying and dividing by powers of 10, and to make sense of conversions between units in the metric system. They extend this understanding of place value and powers of 10 to multiply and divide multidigit whole numbers in Unit 2 (Extending Multiplication and Division to Multidigit Whole Numbers) using the standard algorithms.
In Unit 3 (Exploring Multistep Problems), students grow in their ability to interpret, represent, and solve multistep problems using symbolic notation and the convention order of operations. They extend their schema of equivalence to numerical expressions and explore the concept of “simplifying” expressions.
Unit 4 (Exploring Two- and Three-Dimensional Space) challenges students to think about and quantity size in three-dimensions: length (one dimension), area (two dimensions), and volume (three dimensions) while thinking about how the base unit, square unit, and cubic unit are used in each case. They use area and volume as models to identify factors and to understand prime and composite numbers.
The next pair of units addresses operations with fractions: first addition and subtraction (Unit 5, Extending Equivalence, Addition, and Subtraction to Fractions), then multiplication and division (Unit 6, Extending Multiplication and Division to Fractions). Addition and subtraction strategies are rooted in conceptual understanding: they can only be added or subtracted if they are expressed with the same-sized parts. In Unit 6, students rely on both interpretations of multiplication (iteration of a fraction or finding the fractional part of another number) and division (dividing a fraction into a whole number of parts, or determining how many fractional parts fit into a whole number).
Unit 7 (Extending Multiplication and Division to Decimals) builds on students’ understanding of operations with both whole numbers and fractions. Students rely on extensions of place value patterns and/or fraction operations to interpret word problems and develop reliable strategies to multiply and divide decimals.
Unit 8 (Expanding Financial Literacy) provides students to practice computation and problem solving with decimals in money contexts while students learn about taxation and budgeting.
In Unit 9 (Organizing Two-Dimensional Space), students expand their understanding of classification and come to understand classification of shapes as hierarchical. They are also introduced to the coordinate plane as a tool for quantifying location in two-dimensions. In Unit 10 (Exploring Relationships in Data), students begin to use the coordinate plane to model inputs and outputs, identify patterns in data and graphs, and interpret them in real-world contexts. They make connections between algebraic and graphical representations, laying a foundation for working with and graphing algebraic equations in the future.