Our K-6 math classrooms will be using GO Math from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as a resource for students, families, and teachers. 

How can I access GO Math resources online?

Think Central Go Math LOGIN
Families may access resources, materials, tutorial Math on the Spot videos, an interactive version of the student text and more!

Students can access Think Central GO Math using their Microsoft Office 365 account.

There is a link on our website to the Microsoft Office 365 email login or go to portal.office.com .

Once logged into, click on the All Apps icon.

Scroll down to find the Think Central app.

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Why GO Math?

After careful review of several textbooks, GO Math was selected based on several key features.

  • The textbook and resources emphasize mathematical understanding, computational fluency, and real life applications.
  • The materials are flexible enough to allow our teachers to make adjustments as needed and to use strategies and lessons we already know are effective in meeting student needs.  After all, our goal is for our students to learn and use math and mathematical thinking, not to learn “GO Math” as a program.
  • There is a heavy emphasis on “math talk” which encourages students to explain their thinking.  Having students verbalize their thinking is important in developing a deep understanding of concepts.  You really understand a concept or procedure when you can explain it to others!
  • There is a write-in book provided at every grade level so students can keep these resources.
  • There is an interactive student edition available online at the Think Central link below which provides additional review and practice for your child when needed.
  • Math on the Spot videos are provided online at the Think Central link below for each concept.  These short videos provide an explanation or brief tutorial for a specific concept or skill.

How will GO Math be used in my child’s classroom?

GO Math will be used as a valuable resource for both teachers and students to provide a framework on which to build our math curriculum.  However, we clearly recognize the expertise of our faculty and know that a national textbook series will not exactly meet the needs of our students here at Penn Cambria.

You may notice that we are not using every lesson or following the exact lesson design in GO Math depending on the concepts being taught.  You may also notice that at some grade levels, we have redesigned some of the quizzes or tests to better meet the needs of our students.

What about basic computation?  Isn’t that still important?

Absolutely!  Basic fact fluency and computational fluency are very important skills for children to develop.  The more automatic those basic skills become, the more the student can devote efforts to things like problem-solving and critical thinking.  However, while being able to do the computation or follow the procedure is important, it is equally important that students understand why the procedures work so they are better prepared to apply math concepts when they face new situations.  After all, life is changing quickly today and our children will need to be able to apply what they know to tackle new challenges in the future.

 

I still have questions about the way math is taught today? How can I learn more?

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has a great book titled, It’s Elementary: A Parent’s Guide to K-5 Mathematics. If you would like to borrow a copy, please contact our administrative office at 814-886-8121.