BIS Math Program | Early Years – Math in Real-life Context

Mathematics is a dynamic discipline that prepares students for an ever-changing world requiring logical thinking and quantitative analysis. At Boston International School, our Mathematics programs aim to engage students and teachers in a shared, inquiry-based learning experience.

Mathematics is a dynamic discipline that prepares students for an ever-changing world requiring logical thinking and quantitative analysis. At Boston International School, our Mathematics programs aim to engage students and teachers in a shared, inquiry-based learning experience.

In our Elementary School at BIS, we implement the Singapore Mathematics based program delivered within the IB PYP inquiry-based framework, laying a solid foundation of Mathematics skills in a learner-centered and well-balanced learning environment.

Our Early Years program delivers Mathematical skills utilizing the IB Approach and inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Our Early Years teachers look for genuine connections to other aspects of learning and aim to make Mathematics hands-on and engaging for all learners.

The BIS Math Program video series is going to show you an overview of our ongoing math programs from the perspective of one math class, from EY through high school.

 

Early Years – Math in Real-life Context

Early Years Center is the first step in a child’s growth as they begin their safe and enriching transition from the nest of the home to the wonders of the world. The Early Years Center, based on the IB Curriculum and Reggio Emilia philosophy, creates an environment where children can “play in learning”. Children are encouraged to be an explorer of the nature and the surrounding environment. They search for geometric shapes in the community, practice counting strategies in PE class, and observe patterns in the texture of a leaf.

This is a Math class of EY4.

Background

The EY4 classes are currently in the Unit of Inquiry “Who We Are.” In today’s math lesson class EY4A is learning about 3D shapes. Shapes are part of who we are because, as the children are beginning to realize, everything is made of shapes-including us and the tools and materials we use. The children have already learned about many 2D shapes such as triangles, squares and circles, and have learned to recognize these shapes in the environment. Now it’s time to explore the relationship between familiar 2D shapes and more complex 3D shapes.

Learning Objectives

Tune into the idea of three-dimensional shapes and understand that 2D shapes can be combined to construct 3D objects.

 

Learning Activities

#1

To start with, the children review 2D shapes with the teacher. The teacher asks questions like: “Have you seen a triangle that is this big?”. This is where 3D shapes are introduced to the class.

#2

Then they go on by looking at some real-world objects: pyramid, cube and sphere shapes. This allows the children to develop a more concrete understanding beneath abstract concepts.

#3

Then, by using 2D shapes to build 3D ones, the students explore the relationship between shapes and how everyday things around us are built from combinations of shapes.

#4

Finally, the students use sticks and clay to create their own 3D shapes or try to form the ones they looked at earlier. For the kids, the most fun part is usually when they get to get their hands dirty. They love to squeeze, mold and form the clay and sticks into various shapes. This is not only an exercise in creativity and geometry, but also a way to stimulate their fine motor skills.

Assessment to check for student understanding

When they are finished, the students cannot wait to show off the multitude of shapes and objects they have crafted.

Plan for the Next Class

This is only the beginning of the children’s journey into the world of 3D shapes. In the next lesson they will walk around the school looking for things that have pyramid, cube or sphere shapes, perhaps documenting them by taking photographs or drawing them. This will lead to further discussion between the students and teacher about the role shapes have in our environment and our everyday lives, for example how we use circular wheels to make our school bus move or cubes to form houses and buildings. A child might ask a question like “Why is this box a cube?” leading to an activity experimenting with different shaped containers to see how useful they are. The inquiry learning is an emergent and ongoing process and what happens in one class often depends on the results of the previous activity.

Next time, we will have a chance to step into a Singapore math lesson in elementary school. Stay tuned!