What’s Cool about the Lower School’s New Math Program

What’s Cool about the Lower School’s New Math Program
Westmark Staff

“I wish I went to this school,” exclaimed fourth-grade parent Brandy while completing a math exercise. Brandy was one of several attendees at a parent education program in March covering Westmark curriculum essentials—in this case, how math is taught in the Lower School

Implemented in all Lower School grades during the 2023–2024 school year, the JUMP Math curriculum is a research-based program that has been intentionally designed to build students’ confidence in and reduce their anxiety around the subject of numbers and their operations. How does Westmark use this curriculum to inspire the next generation of math whizzes?

We Make It Multisensory

The award-winning JUMP Math program not only aligns with Common Core State Standards but also works particularly well with Westmark’s multisensory teaching methods: it engages and empowers students through auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile activities. 

Today’s parents and guardians likely learned math differently than how it is taught in Westmark’s classrooms. While teachers have traditionally explained mathematical concepts using abstract numerals to start, Westmark teachers follow the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence in their instruction. 

What does this sequence look like when teaching a mathematical operation like addition? First, for the concrete phase, students work with physical objects or manipulatives, like popsicle sticks, to learn how to combine two smaller numbers into a larger number. Then, during the representational phase, they work with images or illustrations of objects. Finally, once they’ve made sense of math using their senses, the students are ready to move on to finding solutions to mathematical problems using abstract numerals.

 

Teachers Teach Teachers

At Westmark, mentorship among teachers ensures that all Lower School faculty have been fully trained to incorporate the JUMP Math curriculum into their classrooms. Before its widespread implementation, JUMP Math was piloted with a Grade 4 class during the 2022–2023 school year. Westmark teachers assessed how the program benefited those students before deciding to expand the program’s use across Lower School grade levels in 2023–2024.


We Invite Parents to Get in on the Learning

Parent education programs are just one of the many ways Westmark offers families the language and tools to support their student’s growth in math and other subjects at home. Lower School faculty communicate with parents and guardians weekly by email. They also closely review students’ progress and goals at three Parent-Teacher Conferences over the course of the school year.

Parents sitting at table with a worksheet in front of them, along with game pieces and dice


We Let the Games Begin

Westmark teachers embrace play while explaining challenging concepts. One game played regularly in the classroom is called Bump. The game builds students’ ability to subitize (look at a set of objects—like dots on dice—and assess how many there are without counting them individually). Through this dynamic form of repetition, the skill becomes automatic for the students. And families can reinforce that skill by playing games together at home—especially as parents had the opportunity to learn to play Bump at the March program!

Two images: One of students seated at desks looking at screen with image of dice and parents playing a game called Bump with dice and markers


We Forget Memorization

Teachers at Westmark want students to reduce their workload and increase comprehension. If the mental energy expended to memorize is preventing a student from understanding a mathematical concept, teachers encourage students to make use of their tools or “near point references.” Examples include “100s charts” for counting and multiplication tables. These tools help students focus on building skills rather than straining to remember—they break down barriers to making math engaging!

Student sitting at desk looking at 100s chart


Westmark parents and guardians, if you’d like to learn more about JUMP Math, you can view a recording of the program described above, as well as a handout of strategies to support math at home, in the Parent Portal.