SCHOOL DISTRICT OF

UPPER DUBLIN


1580 Fort Washington Avenue Maple Glen PA 19002
The School District of Upper Dublin is an equal opportunity employment and educational organization
August 2014

Dear Upper Dublin Families,

The Upper Dublin Curriculum Office is excited to announce we are implementing Eureka Math: A Story of
Units for grades K-5 beginning September 2014. This unique program tells the unfolding story of mathematics
emphasizing key themes of creation, manipulation and relationships between units, the basic building blocks
of arithmetic.

A Story of Units is a comprehensive, student-centered curriculum built entirely around the PA Core Math
Standards and Progressions. The Progressions describe the sequence of a topic across grade levels, informed
both by research on childrens cognitive development and the logical structure of mathematics.

The overview below should address some initial questions as we transition to the PA Core Math Standards and
our new math curriculum.

Eureka Math: A Story of Units is structured around three essential shifts that drive instruction for our students
designed to meet the rigorous expectations of the PA Core Standards and PSSA testing:

Focus requires teachers to focus deeply on fewer concepts prioritized in the standards.

Coherence calls for teachers to carefully connect the learning within and across grades. This allows
students to build new understanding onto foundations formed in previous years.

Rigor is three pronged, requiring teachers to pursue with equal intensity deep conceptual
understanding, fluency/procedural skill, and application to real world problems. A Story of Units
includes a fun, adrenaline-rich fact fluency component in every lesson!

Homework might initially be stressful! We encourage students to give homework their best effort, but
certainly not to the point of frustration. Homework is often the face of any new program from a familys
point of view, please be assured that homework mirrors Problem Sets presented during math class. Bear in
mind, teachers have multiple ways of checking for understanding and monitoring student progress.

Patience will be required! As with any new program, there will be a learning curve for students, parents and
even teachers. We expect students to struggle, especially with a rigorous curriculum that includes new
vocabulary, models and mathematical practices. As with all disciplines, productive struggle is necessary for
learning.

Professional Development for our elementary teachers in June was extraordinary. Our staff had the rare
opportunity to work with veteran teachers who were on the team of writers for A Story of Units. This high
caliber support and training will continue throughout the school year.

Parent Math Nights will be held at your childs elementary school. Click here for details and to RSVP.
For a deeper look, please view the teacher inspired, grassroots video introducing Eureka Math.

Heres to an exhilarating year of discovering the story of mathematics together!

Sincerely,
Eva Morrison, Director of Curriculum
Janet Blenheim, K-5 Math Coach