The Progression of Standards in Common Core

As a sixth grade math teacher, I have been spending my time familiarizing myself with the sixth grade Common Core standards. I  wanted to see what the standards looked like in fifth grade, and also, what will they look like in seventh grade. With Common Core, it is not as easy to see a progression between the elementary and middle schools - it is a bit of a jump. For example, in elementary, standards are given for the following five areas: Operations & Algebraic Thinking, Number & Operations in Base Ten, Number & Operations - Fractions, Measurement & Data, and Geometry. However, in middle school, the standards are presented in the following five areas: Ratios & Proportional Relationships, The Number System, Expressions & Equations, Geometry, and Statistics & Probability. With the different categories, it is more difficult to find the progression. Since Geometry is presented in both elementary and middle school, I will evaluate the progression of standards within the Geometry strand.

In fifth grade for Geometry, students should be able to recognize an x- and y-axis and plot points on the first quadrant of a coordinate plane, identify attributes of two-dimensional figures, as well as identify the hierarchy of two-dimensional figures. I am surprised that there is no mention of three-dimensional figures in fifth grade. I taught three-dimensional shapes when I was teaching third grade.

When students get to sixth grade for Geometry, students are responsible for finding the areas of polygons using other shapes, use formulas to find the volume of given three-dimensional shapes, draw two-dimensional shapes on a coordinate plane, and use nets to find the surface area of three-dimensional shapes. I am surprized that students are expected to use formulas to find volume and surface area of three-dimensional shapes when this is the first exposure to 3-D in the Common Core standards. There also is no mention of whether students are only responsible for plotting points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane or all four quadrants. In seventh grade, students will be working with finding actual lengths from scale drawings and vice versa, draw triangles with given angle measures, describe relationships between two- and three-dimensional figures, use circumference to solve problems, find volume and area using formulas, and use facts about angles to solve equations to find unknown angles. Using formulas to find volume progressed nicely from the students' exposure in sixth grade. I did notice that there is no mention of angles in sixth grade, so the curriculum in seveth grade must be filled with angles if students are expected to be able to find measurements of unknown angles.

Overall, there does not seem to be nearly enough geometry in the elementary grades. In middle school, the Common Core standards emphasis on Geometry increases each year. Some standards are progress from previous standards and some are brand new concepts.