Mathematics

Students are taught to understand that mathematics is an integral component in the creation of the world. Math instruction includes a balance of memorizing math facts with solving real problems, reasoning, and making logical connections between classroom instruction and real-world applications. They will acquire the mathematical skills, understandings, and attitudes they will need to be successful in their daily lives. LCA will utilize Purposeful Designs for kindergarten through fifth grade to ensure a solid foundation is established. Students in sixth and seventh grade will learn from BJU Press for core math instruction.

Kindergarten 

Kindergarten focuses primarily on counting and recognizing numbers to one hundred. The use of hands-on materials develops early addition and subtraction skills and math sentences. Regular experience with sorting, counting, measuring, and weighing familiar objects and recording numerals on various graphs or worksheets, teaches the concept and usage of numbers.

By the end of kindergarten, students will:

  • Practice addition and subtraction skills up to ten using a number line, money, pictures, and drawings.
  • Develop understanding in patterns by sorting, identifying, classifying, and describing a variety of objects.
  • Learn how to read and write numbers through thirty.
  • Recognize and count numbers through one hundred and ordinal numbers through 10th.
  • Understand how to measure with nonstandard units, estimate, and compare length, volume, and weight.
  • Practice telling time and reading a schedule.
  • Count money and make buying decisions.
  • Predict and draw conclusions from bar graphs, tally charts, and pictographs.

First Grade 

First Grade focuses primarily on counting, skip counting, recognizing, and ordering numbers to one hundred, and basic addition and subtraction skills. Students are exposed to a variety of different strategies to compute addition and subtraction problems through eighteen. Students are able to use manipulatives, such as counters, snap cubes, or number lines, but are expected to commit the facts through eighteen to memory.

By the end of first grade, students will:

  • Understand basic facts to twelve, adding three addends, and adding two-digit numbers.
  • Understand subtraction with doubles and two-digit numbers.
  • Explore multiplication by making equal sets.
  • Practice symmetry and classifying patterns.
  • Know and apply number order and ordinal numbers through one hundred.
  • Develop understanding in place value, as well as identifying equal parts, reading, and writing fractions, and nonstandard units to estimate and compare.
  • Practice counting money and telling time.
  • Understand plane figures and solid figures.

Second Grade 

In Second Grade, the student develops a strong sense of operations and mathematical skills. The student primarily focuses on number relationships in computation and problem solving. Addition and subtraction involves regrouping with mastery of facts to eighteen. Students work with patterns, measurement, and data analysis to achieve math competency and to develop applicable life skills. Multiplication is introduced.

By the end of second grade, students will:

  • Practice addition and subtraction to eighteen and begin to develop two- and three- digit numbers without regrouping.
  • Relate multiplication to repeated addition, learn facts 2 through 5.
  • Relate division with repeated subtraction.
  • Learn the terms factor and product.
  • Understand patterns in numbers, objects, and symmetry.
  • Read and write numbers to 9,999 and compare numbers using greater than, less than, and equal to.
  • Identify whole numbers to thousands.
  • Read, write, draw, and compare fractions.
  • Practice measurement, time, money, and statistical skills.
  • Understand plane and solid figures.

Third Grade 

Third Grade primarily focuses on the mastery of multiplication and division facts and computation skills. Computation and problem solving in these areas include one-digit multipliers and one-digit divisors. There is an emphasis on a variety of problem-solving strategies. Other units of study include measurement, decimals, fractions, and geometry.

By the end of third grade, students will:

  • Practice adding and subtracting three- and four- digit numbers with and without regrouping, estimating sums, and adding and subtracting fractions and decimals.
  • Memorize multiplication facts 0 through 9.
  • Practice division facts 0 through 9 and divide one-, two-, three-, and four- digit numbers, with and without remainders.
  • Read and write numerals through 999,999 and ordinal numbers through 100th.
  • Identify whole numbers to hundred thousands, decimals to hundredths, compare and order whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
  • Read, write, and draw fractions and mixed numbers.
  • Know and apply forming equivalent fractions and relate fractions to decimals.
  • Understand money, US customary and metric systems and time.
  • Collect and reduce data. Interpret graphs, charts, and tables.

Fourth Grade 

Fourth Grade primarily focuses on problem-solving strategies and basic skills that apply to the more complex problems in multiplication and division. Other units of study where there is extensive practice are geometry, measurement, decimals, and fractions. Additionally, students will be exposed to probability, ratio, and percentages.

By the end of fourth grade, students will:

  • Understand how to add whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers.
  • Practice subtracting five-digit numbers with and without regrouping.
  • Know and apply subtraction to decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers, while estimating differences.
  • Learn to multiply up to four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers, with and without remainders, divide by two-digit divisors, and finding averages.
  • Identify, describe, extend, and design patterns, sequences, and composite numbers.
  • Practice numbers in expanded form through millions and rounding whole numbers and decimals.
  • Read and write whole numbers to hundred millions and decimals to hundredths.
  • Practice finding equivalent fractions, reducing fractions to simplest form, and finding like and unlike denominators.
  • Practice telling time and comparing units of time.
  • Know and apply money amounts and make change through adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
  • Identify points, rays, lines, angles, triangles, polygons, and quadrilaterals.
  • Collect, organize, and analyze data, write equations with and without variables.

Fifth Grade 

Fifth Grade focuses on the mastery of concepts introduced in fourth grade. Students will understand and apply problem-solving strategies and basic skills to more complex problems in multiplication and division. Other units of study where there is extensive practice are geometry, measurement, decimals, and fractions. Additionally, students will be exposed to probability, ratio, and percentages.

By the end of fifth grade, students will:

  • Practice adding and subtracting whole numbers and decimals, fractions, mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators, and estimate sums.
  • Know and apply multiplication and division to whole numbers, decimals, and mixed numbers, as well as finding the averages.
  • Understand prime and composite numbers, patterns in geometric shapes, sequences.
  • Read and write whole numbers to hundred billions and decimals to thousandths.
  • Practice US customary and metric systems, understand timetables, schedule, and time.
  • Practice counting and comparing money with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
  • Identify points, lines, rays, angles, triangles, polygons, quadrilaterals, and circles.
  • Use the commutative and associative properties of addition and multiplication.
  • Understand how to collect, organize, and analyze data.

Sixth Grade 

Sixth graders will transition from elementary school into middle school math by providing a consistent review of concepts taught in the program with an emphasis on learning math to solve real-world problems. Students will learn not only how math principles work but also how to think critically about those principles and construct arguments so they can use the principles in real-world situations.

By the end of sixth grade, students will:

  • Understand and apply number sense to number lines, expressions and equations, and inverse operations.
  • Practice basic facts, nine-digit column addition and mental compensation with the zero principle.
  • Practice a variety of commutative, associate, and identity properties.
  • Know and apply multiplication to a variety of contexts such as factor trees, prime/composite numbers, Greatest Common Factor, Least Common Factor, and properties.
  • Know and apply division in a variety of forms such as fraction form, equations, mental division, mixed number and decimal quotients, and decimal equivalent for a fraction.
  • Practice a variety of equations to solve unknown statements.
  • Find the missing addend, subtrahend, minuend or factor in expressions and equations.
  • Know and apply fractions by comparing, ordering, lowest terms, renaming, and mixed numbers.
  • Read and write decimals to the thousandths.
  • Understand ratios, proportions, percentages, problem solving, and graphs to answer questions.
  • Use measurement, geometry, and estimation to solve real world problems.

Seventh Grade 

Seventh grade students will begin the full transition to middle school with a balanced study of the foundations of mathematics with practical, real-life applications. Striking chapter openers and thought-provoking cartoons draw students into the content and get them thinking and talking about how math can be used to solve problems and serve others. Quarterly STEM projects give students more direct opportunities to apply math concepts to solving real-world problems.

By the end of seventh grade, students will:

  • Practice whole numbers and decimals with ordering, rounding, and comparing, as well as exponents, roots of perfect squares, and order of operations.
  • Know and apply integers in number sets and subsets, opposite numbers, and absolute values.
  • Understand numerical and algebraic expressions with variables and expressions, properties of addition and multiplication, factoring common factors, and linear expressions.
  • Practice with fractions, such as divisibility, factors, prime and composite, Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Factor, renaming fractions, rational numbers, and comparing rational numbers.
  • Write equations by solving one- and two- steps, grouping symbols, and solving more than one step inequalities.
  • Practice ratios and rates, simplifying complex rational and scale models.
  • Use customary units of length, capacity, and weight, units of length and mass.
  • Explore area and volume with circles, polygons, prisms, cylinders, and pyramids.
  • Know and apply probability with simple events, compound events, and simulations.
  • Practice and apply statistics with population samples, description measures, and mean absolute deviations.
  • Know and apply relations and functions to coordinate planes, graphing, and sequences.