Algebra Textbooks Evaluation
Contemporary Mathematics in Context (CORE-Plus) |
||
| Available Charts: | Typical Sightings Summary of Instructional Analysis Ratings |
|
| Authors: | Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP): Director- Christian R. Hirsch; Co-Directors-Arthur F. Coxford, James T. Fey, and Harold L. Schoen; Gail Burrill; Eric W. Hart; Ann E. Watkins; Mary Jo Messenger; Beth Ritsema | |
| Publisher: | Everyday Learning Corporation | |
| Edition: | 1998 | |
| Subject Area: | Integrated Mathematics | |
| Grade Level/ Format: | This integrated series is designed for grades 9-12. It is a four-year curriculum that includes Courses 1-4. (Course 4, which prepares students for college mathematics was in development at the time of the analysis.) Each course consists of two parts (A and B) and a Capstone, a two-week project-oriented activity relevant to the complete course. Each course has seven units, with each unit consisting of three to five investigations. | |
| Activities: | In-class lessons are organized in a four-phase cycle. Students engage in (1) Launch (Think About This Situation) - a whole-class discussion establishing a context for the lesson; (2) Explore - a small group investigation of more focused real-world problems; (3) Share and Summarize (Checkpoint) - a whole-class discussion enabling groups to summarize results of investigations and construct a shared understanding of important concepts, methods, and approaches; and (4) Apply (On Your Own) - a task to be completed individually to reinforce understandings gained in the lesson. This cycle is designed to actively engage students in investigating problem situations, constructing important mathematical concepts and methods, and communicating their thinking and the results of their efforts. Lessons also include MORE (Modeling-Organizing-Reflecting-Extending), a collection of out-of-class activities. The final lesson of each unit is called Looking Back. This lesson provides students with the opportunity to synthesize the ideas of the unit. Each course, or level, ends with a Capstone, a thematic, two-week, project-oriented activity that enables students to apply the important modeling concepts developed in the course. | |
| Assessment: | Assessments include Checkpoint (assessing the levels of understanding various groups of students have reached), and On Your Own and MORE (assessing the levels of understanding of each individual student). Some assessments are generated by students in the form of student journals and portfolios. The teacher's Assessment Resource books contain end-of-lesson quizzes, in-class exams, take-home assessments, projects and assessment tasks for a midterm, and a final exam for each unit. | |
| Web Site(s): | http://www.ithaca.edu/compass http://www.wmich.edu/~coreplus/ |
|
Continued: CORD Algebra 1