Big and Supporting Ideas
| Big Ideas are standards that are aligned with the Curriculum
Focal Points released by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM). They include standards that should be the primary focus of mathematics
instruction for each grade level, K-8. Establishing proficiency with these
standards will prepare a strong foundation for learning mathematics in subsequent
grades. There are three Big Ideas for each grade. The Big Ideas are not
the same for each grade, recognizing that at each level there are certain
skills that must be mastered to prepare students for more rigorous instruction
as they move to the next grade. The order of the Big Idea standards does not determine the order of instruction nor does it indicate that one idea requires greater instructional emphasis. The Big Ideas are assigned numbers 1, 2, or 3 without regard to the content in each. Supporting Ideas are standards that are fundamental to sound mathematics instruction. They are topics that support the Big Idea standards for the following purposes: 1) establishing connections to and between the strands of mathematics as defined by NCTM (Probability has been extracted from Data Analysis and stands alone); 2) preparing students for future mathematics teaching and learning by focusing on conceptual understanding of concepts; and 3) by addressing gaps in instruction that may appear insignificant, but are important to the understanding, fluency, and application of mathematical ideas to problem solving. The Supporting Ideas are not less important than the Big Ideas, but are key components to a structurally sound mathematics education. |