Baltimore Jewish Day Schools

In 2007, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) found that in both 4th and 8th grades, American students were outperformed in math scores by their peers in Singapore. Last summer, Beth Tfiloh Lower School principal Nina Wand and assistant principal Susan Yurow discovered the secret to Singapore’s math success at the National Math Conference. Starting this year, first through third grade teachers are implementing Math in Focus, the U.S. edition of Singapore’s top-ranking math program.

What makes this curriculum different from the traditional American approach?

A New Approach
“In Math in Focus, the lessons progress from the concrete, using manipulatives, to pictures, such as bar-modeling and number bonds, and then finally to the abstract—just using numbers,” says third grade teacher Mrs. Rona Zukerberg. “The curriculum is language-based, as opposed to focusing on rote memory.”

As Mrs. Wand explains, “The students don’t just have to get the right answer… they have to figure out how they get to the answer.” That’s very different for the children, especially for the advanced math students. “They know the right answer, but not always how they got the right answer. Problem-solving is at the core of the program, and provides the essential foundation for advanced mathematics later on.”

Right from the Start
First grade teacher Mrs. Rae Goldberg, a veteran BT teacher of 30+ years, is equally enthusiastic about Math in Focus—especially about its integration of technology, to create a more interactive educational experience. She also finds the focus on multi-step complex problem solving is central to every skill and concept discussion.

“They are visually engaged,” observes Mrs. Goldberg. “Beginning with manipulative materials, then creating a pictorial representation of the word problem, and finally writing the problem in numbers, connecting the visual to problem solving through mathematical reasoning and critical thinking. It’s an opportunity to learn in a wonderful way.”

Using this innovative approach, each topic is covered in greater depth, reinforcing the concepts and utilizing multiple strategies to understand the same equations. By staying on the same topic until it’s fully mastered, students develop a thorough understanding of core mathematical concepts and develop an automaticity and fluency that underpins their future success as math students. This operates in stark contrast to the traditional American math programs, which often use a “spiral approach,” exposing children to a broad range of concepts at several points in their education, but without any emphasis on mastery.

Parents See a Difference
At the Nov. 18 Parent Visiting Day, they got a hands-on introduction to Math in Focus, when students taught their parents how to do their math assignments. And excitement about this new curriculum is spreading…

Ellen Shevrin is impressed by her daughter’s progress with the new curriculum. “Meghan always had a challenge with math…up until this year,” observes Mrs. Shevrin. While doing her homework, Meghan is now “able to explain what she’s learning – the whole process. It’s definitely teaching her a different way of looking at math.”

Mrs. Wand agrees. “It’s been an amazing change so far,” she notes.

Ready to give it a try? Download this sample Math in Focus lesson PowerPoint, developed by Jessica Kresky and her Third Grade Team.

Watch this Fox News video: FOX Focus: Singapore math

Read the following musings from two-time Bram Stoker Award winner Dr. Norman Prentiss, English Department Chair at The Shoshana S. Cardin School.

Reading Multiple Books

I just had a flashback to an image of the end table beside my grandfather’s reading chair. He loved to read paperback mysteries and westerns (they used to call these books “oaters,” because they had horses in them and horses like to eat oats). He would always read about ten books at a time, and would stack them in a small tower, each book face down, spine split and open to mark his current page. My preference was to stay with one book at a time, and read it all the way through. I was amazed that my grandfather could read so many novels at once, and still manage to keep track of all the characters and plots.

Maybe he had the right idea. As students, we take several subjects at a time. Our English and history and math and science textbooks could be stacked the same way, at least metaphorically, as we go through different subjects according to the day’s schedule. If we watch any television shows with repeating characters, the experience can be similar to switching among different books after we’ve read a chapter (unless we rent the DVD of a show’s entire season and watch it all in a marathon).

With the new eBook reading devices, I’m surprised to realize I’ve switched to reading several books at the same time. The electronic device saves the place where I last read (just like my grandfather’s technique, but without damaging a book’s spine). I might be reading a horror story, a mystery, and a comedic self-help book, and I can switch among them according to my interest or mood. It’s a different approach to my “pleasure reading” time, but I like it because it ensures that I’m never bored.

And if I get really interested in a specific book, I can always switch back to my old one-at-a-time strategy until I finish!

–Dr. Norman Prentiss
Instructor, English Department Chair

Read more about Dr. Norman Prentiss, at www.shoshanascardin.org or www.normanprentiss.com

Amy Fink, History Instructor/Student Support Services Coordinator at The Shoshana S. Cardin School, shared these thoughts about the synergy of her two subjects, U.S. Literature and History:

The most exciting new experience for me this year is being able to teach the 11th grade U.S. Literature class in conjunction with the U.S. History class. When two disciplines work so well together, it’s very exciting to be able to teach both!

Though we pride ourselves on integration throughout the curriculum, doing it within two classes that one teacher is teaching can be a unique experience. While learning events that occurred and how people handled them over the course of history, we refer to texts from English class that are expressions of those feelings and events. Understanding the historical context of writings, as well as their literary devices and styles, has truly enhanced the learning within each of these classes and I’m excited to see how it continues over the course of the entire year!

The Krieger Schechter community congratulates the graduating Class of 2011. After years of embracing Derech Eretz, gaining a working knowledge of Torah and Talmud, mastering Hebrew, learning Spanish, studying for tests, writing research papers and essays, solving algebraic equations, experimenting with velocity and acceleration, and celebrating special events and holidays, our 8th grade students graduated on Thursday, June 3 at 7pm in the Chizuk Amuno Sanctuary.

We applaud their growth and acclaim their achievements. Along with their family and friends, the faculty and staff of Krieger Schechter are proud of these students, as individuals and as a class, and look forward to celebrating this milestone with them. The graduates will be attending a variety of highly competitive independent and public schools next year. Many of them will continue their Jewish education in day schools and Chizuk Amuno’s Netivon High School program.