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This Bridge Math course is a comprehensive sixth grade mathematics course. Our goal at every level is to provide the practice and skill acquisition necessary to be successful in the next sequence/grade level of mathematics.
This course represents a bridge from elementary math to junior high math building on the basic operation skills and use of fractions and decimals. Topics covered in this course include number properties, multiplication and division of fractions and decimals, ratios, rates, percents, algebraic expressions, area, surface area, volume, integers, number lines, the coordinate plane, statistical measures, and data displays. While students will learn the “step-by-step” methods for these skills, they will also be given real world math problems and use reasoning & logic to solve problems. While these sound like “big topics,” the material is sequenced and presented in a simple and clear way, and the teacher’s instruction will help your student gain mastery and confidence. This course will prepare students well for higher levels of math.
All Excelsior math instructors will be utilizing Big Ideas Math curriculum written by Ron Larson, Ph.D. and Laurie Boswell, Ed.D. This material will prepare students for upper level and college math classes. Students will have access to a digital platform that has many tools to facilitate learning. The digital user license is included in your course deposit. The material Excelsior Classes math classes will use is not common core aligned.
Parents and students can expect weekly homework assignments as well as periodic quizzes and chapter tests. There will also be math projects that allow students to use their creativity to show mastery of a concept.
This class meets twice per week. Each meeting is 60 minutes. Regular, live attendance is strongly advised. Recordings are available if a class is missed or there is a conflict with another course. Students should watch the recording as soon as possible.
Before registering, math students new to Excelsior Classes math courses and wanting to enroll must take a placement exam.
New math students should take the Math Bridge (6) Readiness Assessment following the included instructions. While this course is typically done in the 6th grade or above, ability to do the work is more important than age or grade. The purpose of this assessment is to ensure students are well placed in Introduction to math. Scan the completed assessment, including all scratch work and send to dianestum@excelsiorclasses.com. The assessment will be graded and Mrs. Stum will make the appropriate recommendations for placement in the Excelsior mathematics program.
As a general guideline, students entering Bridge Math should have an understanding of place value including decimals to the hundredths place and be able to comfortably solve multi-digit addition, subtraction problems, multiplication, and division problems. Students should be familiar with fractions and be able to find common denominators, compare fractions, add fractions, and subtract fractions. Students should be able to use a given formula to find the area of a shape, and apply math skills to solve a word problem. Seeing your student’s work on the placement exam will help me see any holes and what small mistakes might be made and then easily corrected by the student. Even showing some work is helpful to the teacher as she strives to provide the best advice possible.
Special Note 1: If you register for the course prior to receiving teacher feedback and decide to withdraw from the course, the deposit remains non-refundable. The deposit is transferable to another math course or another course for the current school year.
Special Note 2: As in all Excelsior Classes courses, math class instruction is tied to the curated syllabus, and the teacher will teach to the syllabus and not to a particular skill set of a student. In other words, the teacher cannot sacrifice content and expectations overall for an individual student as we need to stay in alignment with educational goals, class participant expectations, and NCAA approval of our courses.
As a general guideline, students entering Bridge Math should have an understanding of place value including decimals to the hundredths place and be able to comfortably solve multi-digit addition, subtraction problems, multiplication, and division problems. Students should be familiar with fractions and be able to find common denominators, compare fractions, add fractions, and subtract fractions. Students should be able to use a given formula to find the area of a shape, and apply math skills to solve a word problem. Seeing your student’s work on the placement exam will help me see any holes and what small mistakes might be made and then easily corrected by the student. Even showing some work is helpful to the teacher as she strives to provide the best advice possible.
Students also must complete training on the digital mathematics platform prior to beginning class.
Included in registration is the ebook for the text below. Excelsior Classes distributes the licenses for digital access.
Big Ideas Math – Modeling Real Life Grade 6 – Larson & Boswell – Samples may be viewed here and here.
A physical textbook is available but not required. It may be acquired on the second hand market. Please contact your teacher for more specifics on ISBN number.
Diane Stum loves learning and considers herself a life-long student. As a homeschool mom, she is surprised by how much she learns as she teaches her own children. One of her favorite parts of teaching is seeing the moment when something clicks for a student who has been struggling through a problem. Diane's background is in elementary education as she holds a B.S in elementary education, grades K-6, from Penn State University. She has experience teaching children from preschool to middle school in traditional classrooms as well as homeschool group classes and private tutoring. As an elementary educator, she is trained in all content areas.
S. –
My daughter LOVES Mrs. Stum’s class. She tells me how patient and helpful Mrs. Stum is with her and all the students. She encourages them to ask questions.
Aubrey –
Mrs. Stum is an incredible teacher! The class has been an incredible addition to our homeschool. The guided notes are very helpful. I highly recommend this class!
Jennifer –
This was a wonderful class that my daughter thoroughly enjoyed. The variety of ways that the concepts were presented were extremely effective in helping my daughter really master the material. She loved going to class, was completely engaged the entire time, and Mrs. Stum was fantastic. Thank you Mrs. Stum for making math so much fun for my daughter!