There are many great elementary mathematics methods books available to instructors. I have used many of them in my courses for elementary preservice teachers. But I always felt what was missing was a true focus on the standards from kindergarten to grade six. Standards define what students should understand and be able to do, and standards provide a clear guide to the goal of success for all students. I designed A Standards-Based Approach to Teaching Elementary Mathematics to help elementary teacher candidates develop an understanding of the standards as they design and implement lessons that will help their students learn mathematics.
Elementary teachers should have a clear vision of teaching and learning, specifically teaching and learning mathematics. And standards-based instruction helps guide the planning, implementation, and assessment of student learning. In addition, when a teacher bases their instruction on the standards, they are deliberately focusing on a set of agreed upon learning targets.
This book references the Kansas Mathematics Standards. These standards are closely aligned to the Common Core Standards for School Mathematics. The Lesson Plan section uses the Fort Hays State University lesson plan template and rubric, which is aligned with the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT).
This book is arranged with a focus on the standards. Additionally, there are sections on social emotional learning, learning theories, lesson planning, and reflective teaching. Each chapter includes the elementary mathematics concept, and the alignment of that concept to the standards, as well as a “do’s and don’ts” section.