Math Lessons from Grades 1 to 4 - Grade Level Curriculum

Many schoolchildren in Germany already know digits and numbers when they start school. Most of them have already had their first experiences with dimensions, have spatial ideas about manual activities and handicrafts, and can orientate themselves well in their immediate surroundings.

Mathematics lessons in elementary school are linked to the child's environment and help to acquire specialist knowledge, skills and a wide range of skills, as well as to structure and solve problems. The lessons are intended to expand and systematize their experiences so that they are able to derive logical conclusions - in this sense, learning mathematics is viewed as a constructive and exploratory process that makes an important contribution to the development of the child's personality and thus to independent thinking and learning Act.

There is no common curriculum for primary schools in Germany because education is a matter of the federal states. That is why we would like to present two syllabuses from the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria as examples. In essence, the curricula in both countries are similar. There are only differences in the formulations and in the choice of the "main categories".

 

The curriculum for grades 1 to 4 in Schleswig-Holstein

The following overview lists the subject-specific intentions of elementary school mathematics lessons in Schleswig-Holstein in the context of five fields of work. By completing the fourth grade, the students were given skills, knowledge and insights on which the secondary schools can build.

Field of work 1: Number concept

The aim of the first two classes is to develop the number range up to 20 and the number range up to 100. This is followed in the third class by the number range up to 1000 and in the fourth class by the number range up to 1000000.

 

Field of work 2: Operations

With regard to operations, addition and subtraction as well as multiplication and division are taught in the first and second grades (semi-written strategies). It becomes more specific in the third grade (written strategies). The little multiplication tables are mastered by the "little ones" after the fourth grade.

 

Field of activity 3: sizes

This field of work is about getting to know quantities such as amounts of money, distances, lengths, distances, units of measurement, time, weights, capacities, simple fractions as well as extracting information from tables and graphs. The level of difficulty and scope increase with the grade levels.

 

Field of work 4: Geometry

Geometry subsumes learning content such as spatial orientation, basic geometric shapes, drawing patterns and symmetrical figures. In the third and fourth grades, the requirements and skills are increased by activating and self-directed learning situations that make it possible to think in a networked way, to develop creativity and to recognize the information content. The "geometry portfolio" is also being expanded.

 

Field of work 5: Factual arithmetic

Factual tasks combine a lot of learning content, such as inventing arithmetic questions, extracting solution-relevant data from texts, images and simple tables, as well as interpreting the factual situations. From the third to fourth grade, the technical tasks become more complex. Here it is stronger and the recognition of relationships or contexts and the transfer performance increases.

 

The curriculum for grades 1 to 4 in Bavaria

The following overview lists the subject-specific intentions of elementary school mathematics lessons in Bavaria in the context of four learning areas. By completing the fourth grade, the students were given skills, knowledge and insights on which the secondary schools can build.

Grade 1 to 2

Learning area 1: Numbers and operations

- Present numbers in a structured manner and formulate number relationships

- Calculate in numbers up to a hundred and use structures

- Relate factual situations and mathematics

 

Learning area 2: space and form

- Orientate yourself in space

- Name and represent geometric figures

- Recognize and represent geometric images

- Investigate and create geometric patterns

- Determine and compare areas / perimeters

 

Learning area 3: Sizing and measuring

- Carry out measurements

- Structure sizes and use size ideas

- Dealing with variables in factual situations

 

Learning area 4: data and chance

- Collect data and present it in a structured manner

- Perform random experiments and compare probabilities

 

Grade 3 to 4

 

Learning area 1: Numbers and operations

- Present numbers in a structured manner and formulate number relationships

- Calculate up to the million and use structures

- Relate factual situations and mathematics

 

Learning area 2: space and form

- Orientate yourself in space

- Name and represent geometric figures

- Describe and represent geometric images

- Investigate and create geometric patterns

- Determine and compare room contents

 

Learning area 3: Sizing and measuring

- Carry out measurements

- Structure sizes and use size ideas

- Dealing with variables in factual situations

 

Learning area 4: data and chance

- Collect data and present it in a structured manner

- Perform random experiments and compare probabilities

 

Our toy recommendations

For preschool we recommend the Natureich wooden ten-table math toy for learning numbers from 1 to 10. For the 1st to 2nd grade, for example, the Montessori math puzzle toy made of wood is suitable for learning numbers (with number fields and Digits). And for the 3rd and 4th grade something for future arithmetic professionals: the Natureich abacus or the * Limited Edition * 1x1 wooden number blocks for elementary school students.