Who Uses Envision Math?

[castleview]

This is the curriculum that correlates with Common Core that our district is using. While it looks similar to what my oldest child used, it has some changes (mainly in what it's emphasizing). This is the first time I've seen "breaking apart". My older two have never had a problem knowing ones, tens and hundreds place. My youngest child has to do this though so if the directions say to add 594 + 75 + 2, my child (third grade) cannot just stack them and get 671. He is supposed to write

500 = 500
90 + 70 = 160
4 + 5 + 2 = 11

500 + 160 + 11 = 671

I'm curious what people think of this and how long should be spent on it. One of my biggest issues with this curriculum is that it jumps around and has no "building on" concept. The other is the directions - they are very unclear. This was the directions he got on his test:

Estimate and add sum

424 + 390 = ?

So my son add 400 + 400 = 800.

He got it wrong because he was supposed to estimate and then add the sum of the original numbers. I realize this may be a teacher thing, but these are just some of the little things adding up that drive me crazy with this curriculum.

 

[minnie1012]

Our school uses it as well. I do not like either. I think they are making it difficult to learn simple math! My friend was trying to explain to me how they are teaching 6+5! Her son is in 1st grade and they have to double the one number and then add or subtract from that, something crazy! There are different rules depending on what the two numbers are that you are trying to add. I was like what happened to I have 6 you have 5 put it together its 11! So this first grader has to remember all these rules and then double or whatever before he can solve it!

I have one in 5th grade and one in kindergarten. I'm curious to see how different math will now be taught to my kindergarten child. The Envision didn't start in our school until last year so my oldest was taught differently up and until last year. I also really hate that everything is a word problem!!!

 

[HERSEY]

When my son was in elem. they thought a similar method that confused the heck out of me and him. He did horrible until they started teaching math the normal way.

 

[bokolo]

I am an elementary teacher and we've been using Envision for at least 6-7 years. My school system (in Mass.) was one of a few in the whole country to pilot the Envision program many years ago. We had the old version and then upgraded to the Common Core version which we started using a full year ago.

There are some good pieces of the program and also some lessons that are terrible. It is a very language based program and clearly some of the lessons are not written by teachers or anyone who has ever taught. We have tweaked it over the years or altered some of the examples so that it makes sense to the students, without altering the lesson objectives...just the presentation of the concept.

The example you showed is called addition with an expanded algorithm. It was not in old Envision program, but was added to the Common Core edition. Students are taught addition and subtraction in a variety or ways...with models (place value blocks), with expanded algorithms, and then the "typical" way most of us learned with "carrying or borrowing"...which we call regrouping now.

No program is perfect...Envision comes with a nice interactive technology piece that is used daily. There are definitely parts of it I would change, but other parts are very beneficial.

 

[castleview]

I am an elementary teacher and we've been using Envision for at least 6-7 years. My school system (in Mass.) was one of a few in the whole country to pilot the Envision program many years ago. We had the old version and then upgraded to the Common Core version which we started using a full year ago.

There are some good pieces of the program and also some lessons that are terrible. It is a very language based program and clearly some of the lessons are not written by teachers or anyone who has ever taught. We have tweaked it over the years or altered some of the examples so that it makes sense to the students, without altering the lesson objectives...just the presentation of the concept.

The example you showed is called addition with an expanded algorithm. It was not in old Envision program, but was added to the Common Core edition. Students are taught addition and subtraction in a variety or ways...with models (place value blocks), with expanded algorithms, and then the "typical" way most of us learned with "carrying or borrowing"...which we call regrouping now.

No program is perfect...Envision comes with a nice interactive technology piece that is used daily. There are definitely parts of it I would change, but other parts are very beneficial.

Thank you for your reply. I'm hoping our school system gets the hang of it the way your's has or just scraps it for something they come up with on their own. Right now the prevailing wisdom is "if they can't explain how they did it, they don't know it"...which is news to everyone I know who works in a math based field, ironically.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I'm in Nebraska and we are one of the few states that are not adopting the Common Core Standards but my children are using the Envision textbook program at school. So I don't think the problem is so much a Common Core issue as it is an Envisions issue! In fact I just wrote a blog post about my concerns on mastering basic facts under the Envision's program about a month ago after attending parent/teacher conferences! Not really a fan.
http://theteachingbank.blogspot.com/2013/10/basic-math-facts-made-easy.html

 

[PollyannaMom]

I sort of understand teaching the expanded addition algorithm, as it closer to how I would do the problem in my head - left to right as opposed to right to left. IF being able to do the problem in your head is the final goal, it makes some sense to show kids how to break it down that way. But the only lesson I've ever seen on doubles +/- 1 was really bad. I saw far more kids getting confused than being helped.

 

[DopeyDame]

500 = 500
90 + 70 = 160
4 + 5 + 2 = 11

500 + 160 + 11 = 671

.

So when doing it this way, what do they do if they'd have to carry in the second set of equations?
For example, what if it was 599 + 99 + 9
500 = 500
90+90 = 180
9+9+9 = 27

500+180+27. They'd need to know to carry the 1 from 8+2 = 10 to make it 600. Or do they break it apart again and again until there's no carrying needed?

the beauty of the math methods we were taught is that they work consistently.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

When I was student teaching I did a whole internship on Envision and actually came to like it because it mimics how I think, but my son do long division the traditional way because he had to do the lattice method that envision teaches.