Getting Started

Quick Facts:

MathByExample is specially designed to target common misconceptions and errors in mathematics through worked examples and prompts in which students are asked to explain a fictitious student’s work.
MathByExample is made up of 60+ assignments each for grades 4 and 5, with two sets of problems in each assignment.
Each problem set targets common math mistakes through a worked example (marked as either correct or incorrect) and a practice problem.
All assignments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
The assignments went through numerous rounds of revisions based on feedback from teachers, coaches, and math experts.

Various Uses:

Warm-up / do now
Exit ticket
Homework
Tutoring
During centers
Formative assessment
Review before a unit test (or standardized testing)

Students can work on the assignments:

Independently
With partners
In groups

Planning:

1. Familiarize yourself with the materials.

Assignments are grouped by topic, but individual assignments can be used in any order that you find appropriate.
Teachers usually determine in advance how MathByExample assignments align with their district math curriculum for grades 4 and 5.

2. Plan how to orient your students to the materials.

Your students may not immediately understand how to complete the exercises. Make sure they know that they will be looking at both correct and incorrect examples of work done by "other students" and will be answering questions about that work.

3. Consider how to allot time.

Assignments are generally designed to take approximately 15-20 minutes. But you may decide to use an assignment over two days or to use two assignments in one day. There may be weeks where none of the assignments align to what you're teaching and other weeks when many of the assignments will fit well. MathByExample is designed to fit flexibly into your classroom without changes in the central content you teach.

The MathByExample Teacher Edition serves as a guide to each assignment.

The “Target” summarizes the targeted mathematical concept.

The “Targeted Error” notes a specific error, if applicable.

Sample response(s) are actually samples! Students will respond in various ways, so it will be up to you to judge whether a student understands the concept.

An image from each Student Workbook page is embedded within the Teacher Edition.

Development of MathByExample was led by Julie Booth (Temple University) through a SERP collaboration with several school districts. Major contributors to program development include: Kelly McGinn and Laura Young (Temple University), Allie Huyghe, Matthew Ellinger, Emily Schwartz, Avery Jones, and David Dudley (SERP). Special thanks! to the teachers, administrators, and students in our partner districts—Baltimore City Schools, Public Schools of Beloit, Public Schools of Brookline, Fort Madison Community School District, Oak Park Elementary District 97, and Penns Valley Area School District—who were essential to the project’s success, providing feedback at critical points and inviting us into their classrooms along the way!

The collaboration has been supported to conduct this work by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150456 to Strategic Education Research Partnership Institute. The information provided does not represent views of the funders.