Parent guide
Common Core Math, Translated
Why does the homework look like that? A side-by-side translation of the methods your kid is using and the methods you remember, and the reason each new method exists, written by people who don't think you're stupid.
Quick answer
Common Core methods aren't replacing the math you know, they're teaching the same answers using number sense first, algorithms second. The number bonds, ten-frames, area models, and bar models are scaffolding for understanding why arithmetic works before kids memorize how to do it on autopilot. The standard algorithms still appear, just usually a year or two later than they did in the 1980s.This page translates each new method to its old-school equivalent, side by side, with no judgment.
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Canonical URL: https://math.im/blog/common-core-math-translated.html