Kindergarten Mathematics FAQ

How long is the kindergarten mathematics block?

The kindergarten mathematics block is 60 minutes long. This allows time for opening, teacher directed small group, and closure. Calendar routines are not included in this block.

Do we teach calendar math?

Calendar Math is a routine that fosters the understanding of the calendar, patterning, graphing, etc. This routine could be used during the opening of the day, not during math. It was developed in 1991 (25 years ago) and is not aligned to Maryland’s College and Career-Ready Standards Links to an external site.. Furthermore, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children journal, Young Children, “using concrete materials with a responsive adult to question and guide learning, is likely to be more meaningful and beneficial than having your children participate in a whole group discussion of such concepts centered on the calendar.”

What happens during whole group instruction?

Number Routines are an effective way to begin instruction on a daily basis. They are aligned with the current curriculum; kindergarten routines should focus on numbers and integrate multiple concepts.

Read alouds are another effective way to open the mathematics block. Suggested read aloud titles, aligned to specific standards, can be found in the Kindergarten Mathematics Canvas course. These are often paired with lesson seeds or related centers.

Consider opening with a routine and closing with a content-related read-aloud, or vice-versa. Your decisions should be based on the current instructional focus as well as the needs of your students.

What should I use to plan mathematics?

Teams should plan using the Kindergarten Mathematics and 1st Grade Mathematics Canvas pages in order to ensure they are teaching the standards as intended; outside resources have not been vetted by curricular offices as to their quality or accuracy.

When planning, teachers must balance the needs presented by the child’s age as well as current instructional need.

How many groups should I have?

The kindergarten rotation models include two and three-group options, as well as whole group collaboration. Your mathematics class is not required to use the same model throughout the year and should be flexible according to the needs of your class. The model for each day should be selected intentionally to support the needs of your students and the goals of the lesson.

Do we regroup for mathematics?

There are two methods for grouping in mathematics, both which incorporate differentiation:

• Form class(es) that receive instruction on first grade standards with mixed grouping in the other classrooms; or,
• Meet various levels within each teacher's homeroom.

Regardless of the method for differentiation, there are important things to keep in mind:

• All students are given opportunities to reason about, make sense of, and persevere in solving challenging mathematical problems at their developmental level; to do so and teach mathematics effectively, teachers need to have a clear understanding of student learning trajectories Links to an external site. (i.e., developmental level).
• It is important to know 1st grade standards to allow for easy flow into the standards when children are ready, and teachers should be intentional about opportunities to accelerate. Likewise, teachers need to understand how skills are back-mapped in order to better focus instruction, but remember that it is a disservice to children to focus or maintain instruction on the lower skills.
• More information about Planning for Advanced Learners can be found in Kindergarten Mathematics

Are the mathematics standards developmentally appropriate?

Yes! It is important to remember that developmentally appropriate practices balance the needs of the learners’ age with their developmental progression. When you meet children at their developmental level and work within their zone of proximal development Links to an external site., you are being developmentally appropriate.

According to Douglas Clements, “perhaps the most common criticism of the Common Core State Standards-Mathematics for young children is that they are not ‘developmentally appropriate’ (e.g., Meisels, 2011)... However, much of the mathematical thinking that some people say ‘cannot be done’ until age 7 (or whatever) can be learned by children - most children -in high-quality environments. Further, children learn such thinking with understanding and joy - that’s developmentally appropriate. One might still argue that the [standards] goals are inappropriate for some group of children. But this will be true of any set of standards that pose a worthwhile challenge to them... Based on learning trajectories, teachers should always be working on the challenging-but-achievable levels for their class and for the individuals in it. But that does not mean we allow children starting at lower levels to stay behind others. That would relegate them to a trajectory of failure. Instead, we should work together to help them build up their mathematical foundations. And given this support, they do.”