Today’s math assignments DO look and feel very different from what almost every adult was taught and is used to. This is true regardless of the curriculum or math program being used in schools. Children are learning not only “what to do” but more importantly “when and why to do it”. Lessons and assignments revolve around “understanding” instead of “memorizing”, and are FULL of models and strategies that grow with students. Again, this is true for every textbook series! This important shift creates lifelong problem solvers…not simply answer-getters. But it also creates confusion for the adults who work with elementary math students….from classroom teachers to homework helpers! This book provides the understanding of first grade math that all adults need. In it you’ll find, in CLEAR, EVERYDAY language, just what each first grade math learning standard MEANS, and how best to help children reach understanding. You’ll also see how each topic fits into a larger PROGRESSION of concepts that build on one another. Perhaps most helpful for adults are the descriptions of the models and strategies used in just about every elementary math curriculum. Each model is explained in detail, as well as used in the actual contexts you might find in children’s assignments. This easy-to-navigate guide is broken down into sections for each major topic of first grade: measurement, data, place value, addition, subtraction, geometry, introduction to fraction concepts, and time. You simply find the concept your child is working on, or match the learning standard number to the one in the guide, and read the description to understand what the assignment is about. You’ll quickly learn what the desired outcome of the assignment is, understand why it looks the way it does, and be able TO HELP! The insight into each learning standard, as well as the understanding of how each model is used, that this book offers is invaluable to both parents and teachers. Parents will see how “today’s math” really does connect to “the math they learned” and that they already “know” more than they thought. Teachers will see how the use of alternative modeling and strategies can work within each of their lessons, helping them reach each student at his or her individual level, and move ALL of them forward. This guide finally puts parents, teachers, and even students, ON THE SAME PAGE!