Currents

A Newsletter for City and Country Families

Spring 2010

Dear C&C Families,

Several years ago, we undertook to explore some key City and Country practices and policies
in greater depth and to put them in writing for our families. We’re continuing this practice with
our Spring 2010 issue of Currents.

Math work at City and Country School may not be as obvious to you as other areas of
study because we so often integrate it into the social studies or Job for each Group. We are
committed to designing the Math Program to foster a deep understanding of math concepts,
mastery of problem-solving techniques and a real-world understanding of math and its role in
our everyday lives.

For you to have a clear picture of math at C&C, this issue provides a snapshot of our
approach, an in-depth description of math teaching and learning, and a section on
refinements we have undertaken in the past few years to articulate and enhance our Math
Program.

If you have any comments about math or this issue of Currents, please feel free to speak with
me.

Sincerely,

Kate Turley
Principal
Currents S P R I N G 2 010

Math at C&C: Snapshot

As John Dewey pointed out long ago, Jobs In the Middle and Upper School, the Jobs Program
learning is not either-or when it comes to is one area that provides children with further opportunities
to apply their math skills in real-life settings. Addition,
conceptual and technical understanding.
subtraction, multiplication and division are solidified
Our Math Program seeks to join the two
through the Post Office and Store work. Understanding
in a way that makes sense for the learner, of statistics, ratio and geometry concepts are developed
enabling him or her to use math as a tool through sign-making and with the printing presses.
for practical problem solving in school and Data collection and statistical analysis are used in
in life. newspaper reporting. By the time the XIIIs graduate,
they have completed the equivalent of Algebra I, with
Foundations an understanding of rational and irrational numbers and
Our goal is to help children develop their intuitive the ability to solve linear and exponential equations with
mathematical thinking and then learn facts and techniques variables.
when the time is right. Real-world problem solving lies
at the heart of true math inquiry; manipulative materials, Standards
traditional skills practice, and many teacher-made How do we know what math topics to focus on at each
materials and games are used to reinforce concepts. We age? The NCTM (National Council for Teachers of
encourage children at all ages to explore different ways to Mathematics) Focal Points are nationally accepted
find answers, to describe their mathematical thinking, and standards for the what and how of math, Kindergarten
to compare and discuss their observations and approaches through 8th Grade. They “comprise related ideas,
to solving problems. When all children are asked to talk concepts, skills, and procedures that form the foundation
about math and comment on their thinking in a problem- for understanding and using mathematics*.” When first
solving situation, math becomes an active process. developed, these standards revolutionized the teaching of
math by stressing the teaching of concepts in a practical,
Context meaningful way, rather than focusing on facts and
In every area of study, children learn best in context. The memorization as the primary way of learning. What their
City and Country School mathematics program is designed recommendations stress is what City and Country teachers
to provide that context, through social studies-related have been practicing for decades. We keep our practice
materials and work, such as blocks, and the Jobs Program. informed by their publications and updates, based on new
research and teaching and learning techniques.
Math-Rich Areas of C&C Curriculum
Blocks Lower School children often recreate their What is a real-world problem?
experiences and observations through unit blocks, which It is not a word problem (a routine exercise used
are all fractional units or multiples of one another. Blocks to give context to a concept after it’s been taught),
present many opportunities for learning mathematical but a real-world problem, in which math concepts
concepts such as numbers (counting), symmetry help children solve a problem they have already
and patterns (arrangement of blocks), mapping and encountered. For example, when researching items
measurement (planning and building structures), sorting and to sell in the IXs Store, the children use their previous
classifying (choosing block shapes and reshelving), spatial knowledge of ratio and multiplication to find the “best
orientation (arrangements of structures), multiplication deal” from various vendors. It becomes clear to them
(grouping blocks when counting), fractions (observing the that there must be a more efficient way to make their
relationships among blocks), and geometry. decisions: long division. This is the time that IXs
teachers introduce the concepts of long division, while
the children practice their new skills in a context that
*NCTM Focal Points: has real implications for their daily work.
http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=270
 Currents S P R I N G 2 010

Math at C&C: In Detail

adapted from a talk by Elise Clark

In every area of learning—reading, writing, social studies The unit blocks found in Lower School classrooms are all
(including social relationships with one another), science fractional units or multiples of one another, and through
and math, we think children learn best in context. For repeated use children learn important mathematical
real learning to occur—and by that we mean sustained, concepts, including numbers, symmetry and patterns,
internalized learning—children need to understand the mapping and measurement, sorting and classifying, spatial
purpose of it, to feel connected to it, to be invested in it. That orientation, fractions, multiplication and geometry. Walking
is the beauty of our program. The core of what we do here around the Lower School classrooms, you will see many
is to provide opportunities for real experiences by which examples of math in action during block building. A two-
children can learn from the consequences of their actions. year-old builds a train of brickies, each topped with a cubie
in a pattern of yellow, blue, yellow, blue. A four-year-old
Lower School has fifteen towers of butteries and roundies in a row, each
Each teacher has a clear idea of what mathematical carefully balanced, with three blocks per stack. A seven-
concepts are appropriate and important for the children in his year-old runs out of longies and must figure out how many
or her age group to work on. It’s the teacher’s job, then, to she needs to borrow from another Group to complete her
find many opportunities—within the context of the program bridge. They’re out of longies, too? How many middlies
whenever possible—for children to experience those can I borrow? The significance of blocks is that the math
concepts. For example, IIs and IIIs should be learning about involved is not just numbers but relationships, too. Caroline
comparisons such as “empty/full,” “more/less” and “short/ Pratt knew what she was doing.
long.” The ability to recognize and make comparisons is a
basic mathematical concept that helps form the foundation
IIIs explore pattern
for later learning. You will often hear IIs and IIIs teachers
in a small group.
questioning children about such things. At the water table
a teacher might say, “Your bowl was full. Now it’s empty.
Which other bowls are full?” In the Lower School, there are
many possibilities for this type of contextual learning—so
much is embedded in the everyday life of the program and
the basic materials; every action in a classroom carries an
opportunity for learning. Some examples: Young children are
taught to pour a half of a cup of juice for snack (i.e. fractions),
and as snack and lunchtime helpers—part of the rotation on
classroom job charts—children count out the proper amounts
of cups, juice and food. When Vs are tallying the number
of milks for the Group, they have to factor in that one milk
serves two children.

The blocks themselves present many opportunities for learning

important mathematical concepts, including numbers, symmetry
and patterns, mapping and measurement, sorting and classifying,
spatial orientation, fractions, multiplication and geometry.
Currents S P R I N G 2 010

It is through repeated exploration and experimentation of rational and irrational numbers and the ability to solve
with the materials that children come to intuit and hone linear and exponential equations with variables.
these concepts. Real math learning doesn’t happen
overnight. Because children at C&C have ample time Teaching and Learning Techniques
to play and ruminate with the materials and repeated Each year builds on previous years. We believe
experiences working with them, the learning becomes strongly in the importance of laying a good foundation
internalized—a real part of the child. At the youngest ages, of mathematical thinking and problem solving when
the children are not yet able to express the concepts in children are very young—even two! Our goal is to help
language or manipulate them on paper. Later, however, children develop their intuitive mathematical thinking and
the concepts are taught in a more formal way. For then learn facts and techniques when the time is right. To
example, when “fractions” are taught at VII, the children this end, we use many manipulative materials, some more
are given the language and symbols for the concept traditional skills practice exercises and many teacher-
they already understand intuitively. made materials and games. Games are a perfect way
to reinforce concepts. A variety of approaches is used in
Similarly, children are taught the standard algorithms for order to cement the children’s understanding.
efficiency (as when you add the ones first, then the tens),
but only after they’ve had lots of concrete experiences with We encourage children at all ages to explore many
numbers to ensure that solid understanding is in place. A different ways to find answers. We also encourage
child who doesn’t fully grasp the idea of tens and ones—an children to describe their mathematical thinking and to
abstract concept—and that the digit “3” in the number “35” compare and discuss their observations and approaches
actually means “30” and not “3,” will not make heads or to solving problems. It’s in the process of exploring
tails of adding the ones first, then the tens. If they do not that children learn. They need to understand the
understand this, imagine their confusion when you tell complexity and flexibility of numbers and that there isn’t
them to “borrow from the tens.” only one way to find the answer. Given that people by
nature use many different methods of math strategizing
Middle and Upper School to find answers, if we were to teach children math in just
In the Middle and Upper School, the Jobs Program one way, we would exclude so many ways of thinking!
provides children with further opportunities to apply their In addition, all of this talking about and describing math
math skills in real-life settings. Calculating transactions and thinking is a way for children to learn from each other.
making change in the VIIIs’ Post Office reinforces two- and Someone else’s idea might make perfect sense to you,
three-digit addition and subtraction as well as multiplication but you might never have thought of it yourself.
facts, whereas a wider variety of supplies in the IXs’ Store
requires the children to have solid multiplication and
division skills at their fingertips. The XIs deepen their study Do you know how to measure a building
of proportionality and ratios through their use of the printing with your shadow and a ruler? C&C Shadow

presses, and the XIIIs often conduct statistical research Using their knowledge of similar
and report the findings in the Newspaper. triangles, XIIs measure their own
shadow and their own height. They
A solid foundation of arithmetic, multiplication and division, then measure the length of a C&C
as well as the basics of geometry are in place by the IXs. building shadow and using the
The Xs and XIs children are exploring geometric shapes triangle created by their body, and
using protractors and three-dimensional scale models, and their knowledge of ratio, they can then
two- and three-step problem-solving schemes involving calculate the height of the building.
fractions, decimals, and percentages are developed and The XIIs then test their work by
refined. In the XIIs, the children execute simple proofs using dropping a string from the top of the
Euclidean geometry. By the time they graduate, they have building to the Yard.
completed the equivalent of Algebra I, with an understanding
Currents S P R I N G 2 010

It’s very important to us to try to break the stereotype of

girls as “mathphobic” or girls perceiving themselves as
not being as good at math as boys. Gender research
shows a solution to math gender bias is to include more
problem solving and discussion in the math curriculum
from the earliest ages. When children are all asked
to talk about math and comment on their thinking in a
problem-solving situation, it helps them to establish their
mathematical voice. Teachers at C&C make it their
business to draw out all voices. A quiet voice becomes
a louder one with repeated expectations to participate.
We give children ample opportunity to attach a voice to
their math thinking. Math is active; children are not sitting
passively with workbooks. And, because there are also
rules in the classrooms about not calling out answers
during discussions, children are given time to think before
answers are blurted out. In this way, the child who needs
more time to think has a chance to participate—and does
not feel defeated by the members of the Group who always
have that quick answer. After all, some of the best, most
complex thinking can take time to develop.

Assessment
How do teachers assess children’s math abilities? The fact
that children are consistently encouraged to explain their
thinking helps teachers know exactly what the children
understand in far more detail than a simple test. Teachers
observe, listen and question on a daily basis. They adjust
instruction and plan activities based on what they see
and hear. Teachers are always asking questions such
as, Why do you think that? How can you prove that?
Does your answer make sense? As children get older,
writing is incorporated into the Math Program. At VII, the
children keep math journals. Teachers and children alike
benefit from this process. Writing asks us to organize and
clarify our thinking, and in the process, we deepen our
understanding.

Calculating transactions and making change in the VIIIs’ Post Office reinforces
two- and three-digit addition and subtraction as well as multiplication facts,
whereas a wider variety of supplies in the IXs’ Store requires the children to
have solid multiplication and division skills at their fingertips.
Currents S P R I N G 2 010

Math Refinements: Recent Years

Over the past few years C&C has focused on refining School Math Program to make sure the requirements for
our Math Program for greater continuity across the ages, placement out of Algebra 1 are thoughtfully embedded
to best reflect recent math learning research, and to in our curriculum, in an appropriate sequence, without
mindfully prepare our graduates for advanced math study compromising our approach.
in high school.
Social Studies and Math
Curriculum Continuity As discussed previously, City and Country is dedicated
The Lower School teachers have been improving to exploring math in real-world contexts and allowing the
continuity of the Math Program across the Vs, VIs and need for the math to arise first, and then teaching and
VIIs. They have conducted summer curriculum grant work learning the most efficient math concepts available to the
and collaborative school-year work that includes explicit age group as a way of solving a real problem. Our Lower
outlining of the major goals of those years. Knowing that we School teachers have also used summer curriculum grants
build on children’s knowledge at each age, we want to be to further articulate the real-world connections between
sure they have a solid and deep understand every step of social studies and mathematics. VIs Teacher Erin Teesdale
the way. Some schools use a spiral curriculum model where outlined a number of social studies contexts that are well-
certain concepts are touched on lightly at more than one suited for math study. For example, a walk around the
age, whereas we prefer to go deeper with fewer concepts block for the VIs neighborhood study yields opportunities to
at each age, thus allowing for a nuanced understanding of observe shape and pattern, and to practice measurement,
the mathematical concept and techniques before moving data collection, and mapping. The VIs food study might
on to another. also lead to collecting, graphing and analyzing data about
a variety of subtopics, such as the kinds of foods found in
Along similar lines, the Middle and Upper School has taken their homes and health and dental health topics, such as
a hard look at the math curriculum progression in light of teeth lost. Within this study they also have the opportunity
what a graduate will need to place out of Algebra 1 in his to explore geometry through drawing and recreating foods
or her freshman year of high school. Using the standards and their shapes. Restaurants and food also provide an
supplied by competitive and typical high schools attended excellent context for working with money math (addition
by our graduates, Gino Crocetti, Ann Roberts and Juan and subtraction), and refining a variety of measurement
Carlos Infante worked through the Middle and Upper and estimation skills while cooking.

How do blocks and social studies There are many methods for reflecting on the math
provide context for children when learning and geometry of blocks during pick-up time. Some of
math concepts? Molly’s examples:
Estimate how many blocks you used in your building.
VIIs Teacher Molly Lippman explains that direct How did you make your estimate? Stack—reevaluate
conversation and reflection about a block pattern your estimate. Put away a few stacks keeping track of
(blocks in relation to one another), on a tower of the how many blocks you’ve put away. Reevaluate again.
Brooklyn Bridge helps a child take the leap from
knowing that it looks “cool” to having an explicit and A teacher holds up a longie and asks the children to
deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts: put away all of the blocks that are ¼ of a longie.
two squaries plus one brickie plus one middlie equal
one longie! She also suggests that when studying New York City
children can extend a learned fact by exploring a
question, such as: “The Empire State Building went up
at a rate of 4 ½ stories per week—how many stories
would be up in two weeks?”
Currents S P R I N G 2 010

Taking advantage of salient contexts for math learning

becomes more challenging in the oldest ages and our
teachers have focused on developing areas in which real-
world needs are explored through math. XIIIs, who study
public health issues in connection with their American
history social studies, have worked on statistical projects
using C&C attendance and health data. Xs have also used
statistical mapping of the heights of the children in the
School to determine the best placement of signs on the
walls for greatest visibility.

Research-Based Enhancements
At C&C, our program accommodates a variety of learning
styles and abilities. Our teachers have been working
specifically on refining this element of math learning. This
“differentiated” learning approach is well-suited to our
context-rich math program, which allows a child to work
with an idea in a meaningful way, and from a variety of
angles, while also allowing children to go deeper and
further, as their interest and ability allows.

In light of new research, we have been revising some

teaching methods and Robert Berkman, C&C Math
Consultant, has written to parents in detail about some
changes to our program. Some highlights include his
explanation that rapid-fire testing of math facts does not Math Lunch
necessarily reflect a student’s understanding of math, VIIIs work with unifix cubes, exploring multiples, while
enjoying lunch.
instead it shows us how accurately he or she recalls math
facts under stress. In fact, research shows that this kind
of memorization is a linguistic skill and testing it tells us Conclusion
more about linguistic memorization ability than it does Math at City and Country School, like all of our work
about mastery of a math computation. And, among many here, provides a deep learning experience. Being able
other things, he has introduced a more flexible and to master a computational technique of a mathematical
transparent algorithm for learning long division, which concept is too shallow. It is a deep, far-reaching
allows us greater insight into a child’s thinking. understanding of mathematics that is our goal. Just as
decoding language is the base for reading, a computational
Finally, over the past few years, teachers have been technique is the technical base for mathematics. With
working with children on math concepts and problem- decoding you can read “Stop!,” but you can’t interpret
solving techniques during “math lunch” where children can Homer. Likewise, through real-world problem-solving and
elect to eat lunch together in a classroom and then work nuanced exploration of math concepts, children at C&C
on a challenging yet playful math problem in small groups. learn to fully comprehend math.
This activity is designed to give a new perspective on a
math concept in an interesting, open-ended and hands-on
environment.

Edited by Jennifer Marck Moran