Iowa CORE Reflection

This was my first time really exploring the Iowa CORE website. I am interested in teaching middle school math, so I specifically looked at the mathematics standards for 6th grade. I was surprised by how ambiguous the content areas were. Some standards, like Statistics & Probability or Geometry, were familiar to me, but "The Number System" was one that really caught my eye. So I clicked on it. 


In my opinion, in just this one content area there was a big discrepancy between the expectations of 6th graders. The first content area states the following, 

• "6.NS.1. Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve word problems involving division of fractions by fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem. For example, create a story context for (2/3) ÷ (3/4) and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient; use the relationship between multiplication and division to explain that (2/3) ÷ (3/4) = 8/9 because 3/4 of 8/9 is 2/3. (In general, (a/b) ÷ (c/d) = ad/bc.) How much chocolate will each person get if 3 people share 1/2 lb of chocolate equally? How many 3/4-cup servings are in 2/3 of a cup of yogurt? How wide is a rectangular strip of land with length 3/4 mi and area 1/2 square mi? Compute fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples." 

This seems to be a very specific way to teach this lesson. This is also a very complex concept for a 6th grader to learn. Whereas the following standard seems far less complex,

•  "6.NS.7.Understand ordering and absolute value of rational numbers.
• Interpret statements of inequality as statements about the relative position of two numbers on a number line diagram.For example, interpret –3 > –7 as a statement that –3 is located to the right of –7 on a number line oriented from left to right.
• Write, interpret, and explain statements of order for rational numbers in real-world contexts. For example, write –3 oC > –7 oC to express the fact that –3 oC is warmer than –7 oC.
• Understand the absolute value of a rational number as its distance from 0 on the number line; interpret absolute value as magnitude for a positive or negative quantity in a real-world situation. For example, for an account balance of –30 dollars, write |–30| = 30 to describe the size of the debt in dollars.
• Distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about order. For example, recognize that an account balance less than –30 dollars represents a debt greater than 30 dollars.

I feel as though this concept is one that most 1st graders understand: the value of a number. It just doesn't make sense to me. 

I was also amazed by how specific these standards were. I had heard that the standards were hard to follow, and now that I actually look at them I can understand why. It is hard to tie the standards together. The concepts are too varied.  Each math standard would take a separate lesson. It would benefit the teachers and the students better if the standards had the ability to be tied together.


Overall, I think that the Iowa CORE standards are very well organized on this website. This can be a resourceful tool for myself when I go into future interviews and jobs to know what is to be expected of me.