Page 50 - Mathematics GRADE 9, DE-STREAMED (MTH1W)

Algebraic and proportional reasoning and spatial thinking are integral to all STEM disciplines. For example, students may apply problem-solving skills and mathematical modelling through engineering design as they build and test a prototype and design solutions intended to solve complex real-life problems. Consider how skills and understanding that students gain across the strands of the Grade 9 Mathematics course, such as Financial Literacy, Number, and Data, can be integrated into real-life activities. For example, as students collect financial data relating to compound interest, and examine patterns in the data involving compound interest, they apply their understanding of exponents and non- linear growth to generalize rules that can be coded in technology programming environments. This process allows students to create a variety of mathematical models and analyse them quantitatively. These models can then be used to support discussions about what factors can enable or constrain financial decision making, while taking ethical, societal, environmental, and personal considerations into account.
Teaching mathematics as a narrowly defined subject area places limits on the depth of learning that can occur. When teachers work together to develop integrated learning opportunities and highlight cross- curricular connections, students are better able to:
• make connections among the strands of the mathematics curriculum, and between mathematics and other subject areas;
• improve their ability to consider different strategies to solve a problem;
• debate, test, and evaluate whether strategies are effective and efficient;
• apply a range of knowledge and skills to solve problems in mathematics and in their daily
experiences and lives.
When students are provided with opportunities to learn mathematics through real-life applications, integrating learning expectations from across the curriculum, they use their lived experiences and knowledge of other subject matter to enhance their learning of and engagement in mathematics. More information can be found in “Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning”.
Literacy in Mathematics
Literacy skills needed for reading and writing in general are essential for the learning of mathematics. To engage in mathematical activities and develop computational fluency, students require the ability to read and write mathematical expressions, to use a variety of literacy strategies to comprehend mathematical text, to use language to analyse, summarize, and record their observations, and to explain their reasoning when solving problems. Mathematical expressions and other mathematical texts are
49