Part II - Operations & Number Structure
Explore what the four basic operations mean, why common strategies and algorithms work, and how numbers can be broken apart and recombined. These modules emphasize models, reasoning, and connections among addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, factors, and number structure.
College Mathematics | Math for Teachers | Part II
Module 3: Meaning of Addition & Subtraction
Build a conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction by exploring their meanings, problem types, models, and early solution strategies.
What Does Addition Mean? - Explore addition as joining, combining, and increasing quantities in different mathematical situations.
What Does Subtraction Mean? - Examine subtraction as taking away, comparing, and finding an unknown part or difference.
Addition & Subtraction Story Problems - Learn how different story structures represent addition and subtraction and influence the strategies used to solve them.
Direct Modeling with Objects & Drawings - Use physical objects and visual representations to model addition and subtraction situations directly.
Counting Strategies for Addition & Subtraction - Develop counting-based strategies that bridge direct modeling and more efficient numerical reasoning.
Module 4: Addition & Subtraction Strategies & Algorithms
Develop flexible addition and subtraction strategies while examining how place value supports efficient mental methods and written algorithms.
Building Mental Addition Strategies - Use number relationships and place value to develop flexible strategies for adding mentally.
Building Mental Subtraction Strategies - Use number relationships, decomposition, and place value to reason efficiently about subtraction.
Making Friendly Numbers - Adjust numbers strategically to create easier calculations while preserving the value of an expression.
Understanding the Standard Addition Algorithm - Examine how the standard addition algorithm uses place value to organize and combine quantities efficiently.
Understanding the Standard Subtraction Algorithm - Explore how the standard subtraction algorithm uses place value and decomposition to find differences.
Why Regrouping Works - Connect regrouping procedures to the underlying place-value relationships among ones, tens, hundreds, and beyond.
Analyzing Addition & Subtraction Strategies - Compare different solution methods to understand their reasoning, efficiency, and mathematical connections.
Module 5: Multiplication & Division Concepts
Develop meaning for multiplication and division through problem situations, models, strategies, and connections between the two operations.
Multiplication & Division Story Problems - Explore the different problem structures that give multiplication and division their mathematical meaning.
Multiplication Strategies - Develop flexible multiplication strategies using equal groups, arrays, decomposition, and known facts.
Making Sense of Division - Interpret division through sharing, grouping, and determining how many groups or how much is in each group.
Division Strategies - Use models, known facts, and number relationships to solve division problems efficiently.
Connections Between Multiplication & Division - Examine how multiplication and division are inverse operations and how each can be used to understand the other.
Module 6: Multiplication & Division Algorithms
Connect conceptual models and place-value reasoning to efficient written methods for multiplication and division.
Multiplication Algorithms - Explore how written multiplication methods organize place-value reasoning to calculate products efficiently.
Division Algorithms - Examine how written division methods organize repeated grouping, subtraction, and place-value reasoning.
Partial Products & Partial Quotients - Use place value to break multiplication and division into manageable partial calculations.
Comparing Alternative Algorithms - Compare multiple multiplication and division algorithms to identify the mathematical ideas they share and the ways they differ.
Module 7: Fractions as Numbers
Build a strong understanding of fractions as numbers by examining their meanings, representations, equivalence, size, and connections to decimals.
Introduction to Fractions - Develop the idea of a fraction as a number representing a quantity made from equal-sized parts.
Equivalent Fractions - Explore how different fraction names can represent the same quantity and why equivalence works.
Fraction Comparisons - Compare and order fractions using benchmarks, common units, visual models, and reasoning about size.
Fractions to Decimals - Connect fraction and decimal notation as different ways of representing the same numerical quantities.
Fractions on the Number Line - Locate fractions on the number line to emphasize that fractions are numbers with specific magnitudes.
Fractions as Part-Whole, Measure, Quotient, & Operator - Examine several meanings of fractions and how each interpretation appears in different mathematical situations.
Module 8: Fraction Operations
Develop conceptual meaning for fraction operations by connecting calculations to visual models, quantities, and number relationships.
Addition & Subtraction of Fractions - Explore why fractions need compatible units before their quantities can be meaningfully combined or compared.
Multiplication of Fractions - Interpret fraction multiplication through scaling, area models, and finding a fractional part of a quantity.
Division of Fractions - Develop meaning for fraction division by reasoning about sharing, measurement, and the number of groups in a quantity.
Visual Models for Fraction Operations - Use number lines, area models, and other representations to explain why fraction operation procedures work.
Module 9: Factors & Number Structure
Investigate the multiplicative structure of whole numbers through factors, primes, divisibility, and shared numerical relationships.
Prime vs. Composite Numbers - Distinguish prime and composite numbers by examining the number and structure of their factors.
Factors & Prime Factorizations - Break whole numbers into factors and represent them uniquely as products of prime numbers.
Divisibility & Divisibility Rules - Use place-value patterns and number properties to determine whether one number divides evenly into another.
Greatest Common Factors - Identify the largest factor shared by two or more numbers and connect it to their underlying factor structure.
Least Common Multiples - Find the smallest multiple shared by two or more numbers and explore how common multiples arise from number structure.