Eureka! I’ve found it! Math, that’s it

Many children enrolled in K-12 are now immersed in the excitement and excitement of Eureka math. While it is somewhat confusing for parents who did not grow up with this instruction and challenging for teachers who must learn a new method and follow a carefully written format, the ideas and intent behind it are strong. During one of my observation days, I saw math in action in kindergarten, second, and sixth grade. As each lesson progressed, I realized that I had a lot to rethink and even more to learn. Taken in isolation, Eureka’s math is puzzling, but after watching several consecutive lessons, the value of strategies was realized.

My first focus is on a second grade lesson where the students were learning about bonding. They had problems like 9+ 6. Putting a circle around the problem, then they drew two diagonal lines at the bottom of the circle where they joined two more circles. The task now was to place the 9 in a new circle and divide the 6 into 1 + 5 in the other circle. From here, 1 joined 9 to make 10, an easy way to count, add, and implement in math problems. 10 + 5 requires a simple addition to get an answer of 15. For students who had not memorized their math facts (a critical topic), the process was helpful. For those who already knew their facts, they simply wanted to write the answer “15” from scratch, skipping the linking step. A classroom assistant suggested that this was fine, but in my heart I knew it was not. Later the teacher confirmed that there will be problems that will require this pairing step and those who have skipped it may have difficulties later on. Indeed, in my research I spoke with the parent of a third grader who explained to me how the link works in multiplication. So even if your child is a math whiz, make sure they go through the necessary process to come up with an answer. While this may seem like a daunting task at first, I know there will be joy in the future.

In a sixth grade classroom, students were studying equivalent proportions. I think proportions came to me in high school, so I was surprised to see students undertake this arduous task, which requires abstract thinking with mathematical analogies. In this case, after several practice problems that created the basis for solving them through Eureka’s methods, independent practice occurred. As the students worked, the teacher added a bonus, the answers to the problems were mixed across the board. That way, as the partners solved by following the procedures and participating in a mathematical discussion, they could verify if the answer they arrived at matched one of the possible options. This not only saved time with wrong answers that were believed to be correct, but it really got the students excited. Eureka! I’ve found it! The revelation prevailed. While I already know how to solve reasons, my method proves to be an outdated strategy that is neither fast nor efficient. Now, the equivalent proportions are very simple.

Eureka’s true math success will increase each year as teachers, students, and parents become accustomed and successful. My hope with this adoption is that districts will continue for thirteen years, following K-12 students to really find out how well they have accomplished math concepts and algorithms.

As a parent, the first thing I would do is go online, study the how and why of this methodology, and then invest in my own set of workbooks, starting with Kinder, just to be sure I understand every step. I like the Eureka workbooks as students now have their practice in a consolidated place for reference and can study how understanding has grown throughout the year. If your child brings home full, separate pages, start a folder now so you can keep track of what your child is doing and learning. Continue with this procedure every year.

I am looking forward to my year of learning new math. Looking back at the new math that was imposed on me in the seventh grade, a new one that was soon discarded, I am excited to expand my thinking and knowledge. Most of the district schools with this program are planning a math open house to support parents in this adventure. Be sure to attend the one held at your child’s school. It’s your chance to listen, learn, and become Eureka’s enlightened math parents.