Resources for Families

Families are important partners with schools in the process of teaching mathematics. For this reason, a number of Family Letters are provided at each grade level. Each curriculum unit includes the following two Family Letters:

• About the Mathematics in This Unit (pdf), which introduces families to the mathematics that their children will be doing and to the benchmarks for that unit
• Related Activities to Try at Home (pdf), which suggests related activities that families can do together and children’s books that support students’ work in the mathematics.

An additional letter provided in the first curriculum unit of the year, About Mathematics Homework (pdf), gives suggestions for helping students with their homework by establishing a regular time for homework, setting up a good working environment, and asking productive questions. In grades 2-5, there is also a Family Letter that focuses on the facts (pdf)—both the ways students are learning them and how parents can support this work at home.

The Student Math Handbook is another valuable tool for working with families. The Math Words and Ideas section of this book provides an overview of the year’s mathematics work, a closer look at the ideas and the kinds of problems students encounter, examples of student solutions, and questions that families and students can talk about together. The Handbook also contains game directions for use at home.