University of Chicago School Mathematics Project

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The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) was founded in 1983 at the University of Chicago with the aim of upgrading mathematics education in elementary and secondary schools throughout the United States. The UCSMP has created a curriculum for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade that emphasizes reading, problem-solving, everyday applications, and the use of calculators, computers, and other technologies. An estimated 3.5 to 4 million students in elementary and secondary schools in every state and virtually every major urban area are now using UCSMP materials^[1].

1 Secondary education materials
2 UCSMP Publishers
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Secondary education materials

The six secondary education textbooks

The secondary education curriculum typically begins in the 6th or 7th grade and introduces students to more complex mathematics. It is comprised of six textbooks:

[edit] Transition Mathematics (Year 1)

This course weaves together three themes - applied arithmetic, pre-algebra, and pre-geometry - by focusing on arithmetic operations in mathematics in the real world. The course introduces algebra by examining three uses of variables (pattern generalizers, abbreviations in formulas, and unknowns in problems) and variable representation on the number line and coordinate plane. The course also introduces basic algebra skills and connects geometry to arithmetic, measurement, and algebra.

[edit] Algebra (Year 2)

This course highlights applications using statistics and geometry to develop the algebra of linear equations and inequalities (including probability concepts in conjunction with algebraic fractions), with a strong emphasis on graphing.

[edit] Geometry (Year 3)

This course introduces coordinates, transformations, measurement formulas, and three-dimensional figures. It also introduces students to methods for writing proofs and constructing other mathematical arguments.

[edit] Advanced Algebra (Year 4)

This course emphasizes facility with algebraic expressions and forms, especially linear and quadratic forms, powers, and roots, and functions based on these concepts. Students study logarithmic, trigonometric, polynomial, and other special functions as tools for modeling real-world situations. The course also applies geometrical ideas learned in the previous years, including transformations and measurement formulas.

[edit] Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry (Year 5)

In this course students study descriptive and inferential statistics, combinatorics, probability, and do further work on polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Algebraic and statistical concepts are integrated throughout, and modeling of real phenomena is emphasized. Students use a function grapher and a statistical utility to study functions, explore relationships between equations and their graphs, analyze data, and develop limit concepts.

[edit] Precalculus and Discrete Mathematics (Year 6)

Precalculus topics include a review of the elementary functions, advanced properties of functions (including special attention to polynomial and rational functions), polar coordinates, and complex numbers, and introductions to the derivative and integral. Discrete mathematics topics include recursion, induction, combinatorics, vectors, graphs, and circuits. Mathematical thinking, including specific attention to formal logic and proof and comparing structures, is a unifying theme throughout.