THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM

GRADES 1–8

Mathematics
2020
This file is an extract and may not reflect or represent the full Ontario Curriculum.

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PDF versions of a curriculum include the following information from the Curriculum and Resources
website:

• the Program Planning and Assessment and Evaluation sections of the Curriculum and Resources
website that apply to all Ontario curriculum, Grades 1–12;
• the Curriculum Context that is specific to a discipline;
• the strands of the curriculum; and
• glossaries and appendices as applicable.

The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2020

This curriculum policy replaces The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2005. Beginning in
September 2020, all mathematics programs for Grades 1 to 8 will be based on the expectations outlined
in this curriculum policy.

Version History:
Version Date Description
June 23, 2020 Revised curriculum issued
August 21, 2020 Glossary and key concepts added
January 18, 2021 Examples and sample tasks added for strands A and F
January 18, 2021 Minor edits and corrections throughout
March 26, 2021 Examples and sample tasks added for Strand D
April 01, 2022 Examples and sample tasks added for Strand E
February 13, 2024 Examples and sample tasks added for Strand B

Program Planning and Assessment and Evaluation Content

Last updated: June 2023

This content is part of official issued curriculum providing the most up-to-date information (i.e., front
matter). This content is applicable to all curriculum documents, Grades 1 to 12. Educators must consider
this information to guide the implementation of curriculum and in creating the environment in which it
is taught.

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This curriculum policy replaces The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2005. Beginning in
September 2020, all mathematics programs for Grades 1 to 8 will be based on the expectations outlined
in this curriculum policy.

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Contents
Curriculum context .......................................................................................................................................5
Preface ......................................................................................................................................................5
Vision and Goals .......................................................................................................................................5
The Importance and Beauty of Mathematics ...........................................................................................6
Principles Underlying the Ontario Mathematics Curriculum ....................................................................8
Roles and Responsibilities in Mathematics Education ............................................................................10
The Program in Mathematics .................................................................................................................14
The Mathematical Processes ..................................................................................................................16
The Strands in the Mathematics Curriculum ..........................................................................................21
Some Considerations for Program Planning in Mathematics .................................................................34
Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning in Mathematics .....................................................................44
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Achievement ............................................................................48
Mathematics, Grade 4 ................................................................................................................................56
Expectations by strand............................................................................................................................56
A. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills in Mathematics and the Mathematical Processes .................57
B. Number ...............................................................................................................................................66
C. Algebra ................................................................................................................................................68
D. Data ....................................................................................................................................................71
E. Spatial Sense .......................................................................................................................................72
F. Financial Literacy .................................................................................................................................74
Strand overviews ....................................................................................................................................74
Information for parents ..........................................................................................................................75

Une publication équivalente est disponible en français sous le titre suivant : Le curriculum de l’Ontario
de la 1re à la 8e année – Mathématiques (2020)

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Curriculum context
Preface
The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2020 focuses on fundamental mathematics concepts
and skills, as well as on making connections between related math concepts, between mathematics and
other disciplines, and between mathematics and everyday life. It also supports new learning about
mathematical modelling, coding, and financial literacy, and integrates mathematics learning with
learning in other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. As well, this
curriculum is designed to help students build confidence in approaching mathematics and acquire a
positive attitude towards mathematics, cope with stress and anxiety, persevere and learn from their
mistakes, work collaboratively with others towards a shared goal, value deep thinking and making
connections, and become capable and confident math learners.

Vision and Goals

Recent research and practice have provided a clearer understanding of how students learn
mathematical concepts and skills. In addition, technology has changed how we access information and
how students interact with mathematics. All students bring to school their mathematical experiences
learned in various contexts. Schools should take advantage of these various experiences so that
mathematics classrooms become places of diverse and inclusive learning that value multiple ways of
knowing and doing. These places will allow all students to become flexible and adaptive learners in an
ever-changing world. The vision of the mathematics curriculum is to help all students develop a positive
identity as a mathematics learner and see themselves as mathematically skilled, to support them as they
use mathematics to make sense of the world, and to enable them to make critical decisions based on
mathematically sound principles. This vision is attained in a mathematics classroom filled with
enthusiasm and excitement – a classroom where all students receive the highest-quality mathematics
instruction and learning opportunities, interact as confident mathematics learners, and are thereby
enabled to reach their full potential.

Success in mathematics has often been viewed as an important indicator of career success. The goal of
the Ontario mathematics curriculum is to provide all students with the foundational skills required to:

• understand the importance of and appreciate the beauty of mathematics;

• recognize and appreciate multiple mathematical perspectives;
• make informed decisions and contribute fully to their own lives and to today’s competitive
global community;
• adapt to changes and synthesize new ideas;
• work both independently and collaboratively to creatively approach challenges;
• communicate effectively;
• think critically and creatively and see connections to other disciplines beyond mathematics, such
as other STEM disciplines.

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In order to develop a strong understanding of mathematics, all students must feel that they are
connected to the curriculum. They must see themselves in what is taught, in why it is taught, and in how
it is taught. They must also see how their learning applies to their own context and to the world. The
needs of learners are diverse, and all learners have the capacity to develop the knowledge, concepts,
skills, and perspectives they need to become informed, productive, and responsible citizens in their own
communities and in the world.

How mathematics is contextualized, positioned, promoted, discussed, taught, learned, evaluated, and
applied affects all students. Mathematics must be appreciated for its innate beauty, as well as for its role
in making sense of the world. Having a solid foundation in mathematics and a deep appreciation for and
excitement about mathematics will help ensure that all students are confident and capable as they step
into the future.

The Importance and Beauty of Mathematics

Mathematics is integral to every aspect of daily life – social, economic, cultural, and environmental. It is
part of the story of human history. People around the world have used and continue to use
mathematical knowledge, skills, and attitudes to make sense of the world around them and develop
new mathematical thinking and appreciation for mathematics. The relationships between cultures and
mathematics are conceptualized and practiced in many different ways across many different contexts.
From counting systems, measurement, and calculation to arithmetic, geometry, and spatial sense,
mathematics has been evident in the daily lives of people across history.

Today, mathematics continues to be found all around us. For example, mathematics can be found in
medicine, sports performance analysis, navigation systems, electronic music production, computer
gaming, quantum physics, fashion design, and so much more. Mathematics skills are necessary when we
buy goods and services online, complete our taxes, create art, and play sports. Mathematics also exists
in nature, storytelling, puzzles, and games. Proficiency with mathematical ideas is needed for many
careers, including but not limited to engineering, health care and medicine, computer science, finance,
landscape design, architecture, agriculture, the arts, the culinary arts, and many skilled trades. In fact, in
every field of pursuit, the analytical, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and creative-thinking skills that
students develop through the study of mathematics are evident. In the modern age of evolving
technologies, artificial intelligence, and access to vast sources of information and big data, knowing how
to navigate, interpret, analyse, reason, evaluate, and problem solve is foundational to everyday life.

While mathematics can be understood as a way of studying and understanding structure, order, and
relationships, the aesthetics of mathematics have also motivated the development of new mathematical
thinking. The power of mathematics is evident in the connections between seemingly abstract
mathematical ideas. The applications of mathematics have often yielded fascinating representations and
results. The beauty in mathematics can be found in the process of deriving elegant and succinct
approaches to resolving problems. Other times, messy problems and seeming chaos may culminate in
beautiful, sometimes surprising, results that are both simple and generalizable. Most important, the
beauty of mathematics is experienced when exciting breakthroughs in problem solving are made and an

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air of relief and awe is enjoyed. The two aspects of mathematics, aesthetics and application, are deeply
interconnected.

The Ontario mathematics curriculum strives to equip all students with the knowledge, skills, and habits
of mind that are essential to understanding and enjoying the importance and beauty of mathematics.

Learning in the mathematics curriculum begins with a focus on the fundamental concepts and
foundational skills. This leads to an understanding of mathematical structures, operations, processes,
and language that provides students with the means necessary for reasoning, justifying conclusions, and
expressing and communicating mathematical ideas clearly. Through relevant and meaningful learning
opportunities and through the strategic use of technology, all students are supported as they learn and
apply mathematical concepts and skills within and across strands and other subject areas.

The Ontario mathematics curriculum helps establish an inclusive mathematical learning community
where all students are invited to experience the living practice of mathematics, to work through
challenges, and to find success and beauty in problem solving. As students engage with the curriculum,
they may incorporate their prior experience and existing mathematical understanding, and then
integrate the new ideas they learn into their daily lives. As all students see themselves reflected in what
is taught and how it is taught, they begin to view themselves as competent and confident mathematics
learners. As a result, they develop improved mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills as well as an
improved sense of mathematical agency and identity. This encouragement of mathematical confidence
subsequently opens doors for all students to explore the importance and beauty of mathematics while
they make connections to other subjects, explore the world, and later pursue further studies.

Principles Underlying the Ontario Mathematics

Curriculum
The Ontario mathematics curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 is founded on the following principles:

• A mathematics curriculum is most effective when it values and celebrates the diversity that
exists among students.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum is based on the belief that all students can and deserve to
be successful in mathematics. It recognizes that not all students necessarily learn mathematics
in the same way, use the same resources, and/or learn within the same time frames. Setting
high expectations and building a safe and inclusive community of learners requires the use of a
variety of differentiated instructional and assessment strategies and approaches that create an
optimal and equitable environment for mathematics learning.
• A robust mathematics curriculum is essential for ensuring that all students reach their full
potential.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum challenges all students by including learning expectations
that capitalize on students’ prior knowledge; involve higher-order thinking skills; and require
students to make connections between their lived experiences, mathematical concepts, other
subject areas, and situations outside of school. This learning enables all students to gain a

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 powerful knowledge of the usefulness of the discipline and an appreciation of the importance of
mathematics.
• A mathematics curriculum provides all students with the foundational mathematics concepts
and skills they require to become capable and confident mathematics learners.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum provides a balanced approach to the teaching and learning
of mathematics. It is based on the belief that all students learn mathematics most effectively
when they develop a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts and skills in
mathematics and are given opportunities to apply these concepts and skills as they solve
increasingly complex tasks and investigate mathematical ideas, applications, and situations in
everyday contexts. As students begin to see the relevance of mathematics and to see
themselves as capable mathematics learners, they begin to develop a positive identity as a
mathematics learner.
• A progressive mathematics curriculum includes the strategic integration of technology to
support and enhance the learning and doing of mathematics.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum strategically integrates the use of appropriate technologies
to help all students develop mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills, while recognizing the
continuing importance of students’ mastering the fundamentals of mathematics. For some
students, assistive technology also provides an essential means of accessing the mathematics
curriculum and demonstrating their learning. Students develop the ability to select appropriate
tools and strategies to perform particular tasks, to investigate ideas, and to solve problems. The
curriculum sets out a framework for learning important skills, such as problem solving, coding,
and modelling, as well as opportunities to develop critical data literacy skills, information
literacy skills, and financial literacy skills.
• A mathematics curriculum acknowledges that the learning of mathematics is a dynamic,
gradual, and continuous process, with each stage building on the last.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum is dynamic, continuous, and coherent and is designed to
help all students develop an understanding of the universal coherence and nature of
mathematics. Students see how concepts develop and how they are interconnected. Teachers
observe and listen to all students and then responsively shape instruction in ways that will foster
and deepen student understanding of important mathematics. The fundamental concepts, skills,
and processes are introduced in the primary grades and solidified and extended throughout the
junior and intermediate grades. The program is continuous, as well, from the elementary to the
secondary level. Teachers connect mathematics to students’ everyday experiences, which helps
all students develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of mathematics to the world
beyond the classroom. Students also come to understand that learning in mathematics never
ends.
• A mathematics curriculum is integrated with the world beyond the classroom.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum provides opportunities for all students to investigate and
experience mathematical situations they might find outside of the classroom and develop an
appreciation for the beauty and wide-reaching nature and importance of mathematics. The
overall program integrates and balances concept development and skill development, including
social-emotional learning skills, as well as the use of mathematical processes and real-life
applications.

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 • A mathematics curriculum motivates students to learn and to become lifelong learners.
The Ontario mathematics curriculum is brought to life in the classroom, where students develop
mathematical understanding and are given opportunities to relate their knowledge, concepts,
and skills to wider contexts. Making connections to the world around them stimulates their
interest and motivates them to become lifelong learners with positive attitudes towards
mathematics. Teachers bring the mathematics curriculum to life using their knowledge of:
• the mathematics curriculum;
• the backgrounds and identities of all students, including their past and ongoing
experiences with mathematics, learning strengths, and needs;
• mathematical concepts and skills, and how they are connected across the strands and
with other disciplines;
• instructional approaches and assessment strategies best suited to meet the learning
needs of all students;
• resources designed to support and to enhance the achievement of and engagement with
the curriculum expectations, while fostering an appreciation for and joy in math learning.

Roles and Responsibilities in Mathematics Education

Students
It is essential that all students take responsibility for their own learning as they progress through
elementary and secondary school. Mastering the skills and concepts connected with learning in the
mathematics curriculum requires a commitment to learning that includes:

• continual and consistent personal reflection and goal setting

• a belief that they are capable of succeeding in mathematics
• developing skills in persevering when taking on new challenges
• connecting prior experiences, knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to new learning
• a willingness to work both collaboratively and independently
• dedication to ongoing practice
• an ability to receive and respond to meaningful feedback

Through ongoing practice and reflection, all students can develop a positive and healthy mathematical
identity whereby they value and appreciate mathematics as a discipline, see themselves as mathematics
learners, and understand what successful math learning looks like.

Students’ attitudes towards mathematics education can have a significant impact on their engagement
with math learning and their subsequent learning and achievement of the expectations. Students who
are engaged in their learning and who have opportunities to solve interesting, relevant, and meaningful
problems within a supportive, safe, and inclusive learning environment are more likely to adopt

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practices and behaviours that support mathematical thinking. More importantly, they are more likely to
enjoy mathematics and to pursue their desire to learn math beyond the classroom setting.

With teacher support and encouragement, students learn that they can apply the skills they acquire in
mathematics to other contexts and subjects. For example, they can apply the problem-solving skills they
use in mathematics to their study of the science and social studies curricula. They can also make
connections between their learning and life beyond the classroom. For example, when reading or
watching the news, they can look for applications of mathematical modelling and how it can be used to
answer important questions related to global health and the environment or to help solve critical social
issues that are relevant to their lives and experiences.

Parents
Parents1 are their children’s first role models. It is important for schools and parents to work together to
ensure that home and school provide a mutually supportive framework for young people’s mathematics
education. Research assures us of the positive results of parent engagement on student success – and
parent-child communication about mathematics, including parents’ fostering of positive attitudes
towards mathematics, is one of the many important ways parents may be involved.

Parents can support their children’s mathematics success by showing an interest in what their children
are learning and by discovering with their children how what is being learned in class can be applied to
everyday contexts. Math is everywhere, and parents can help their children make connections between
what they are learning at school and everyday experiences at home and in the community – such as
cooking at home, shopping at a store, and managing household finances. Parents can include their
children when cooking at home by asking them to measure ingredients and to double or halve a recipe.
They can include their children when making decisions at the grocery store by asking them to figure out
what is the better deal and to estimate the total cost of items in their cart before proceeding to
checkout. They can include their children in other ways – for example, when enjoying math-based
puzzles and games – and they can create opportunities for mental math estimations and calculations
and for making predictions. Parents can support their children’s learning by encouraging them to
complete their mathematics tasks, to practise new skills and concepts, to apply new mathematics
learning to experiences at home, and to connect mathematical experiences at home to learning at
school.

More importantly, parents are an integral part of their children’s interactions and experiences with
mathematics. Having a positive attitude towards mathematics and developing self-efficacy are
important elements of students’ achievement of the expectations and of all future mathematics
learning. By demonstrating a positive attitude towards mathematics, and by speaking positively and
often about mathematics, parents can show their children that mathematics is enjoyable, worthwhile,
and valuable. Parents can encourage their children to cultivate perseverance when solving problems, to

1 The word parent(s) is used on this website to refer to parent(s) and guardian(s). It may also be taken to
include caregivers or close family members who are responsible for raising the child.

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acknowledge any difficulties, to believe that they can succeed in math, and to build their own self-
confidence and sense of identity as mathematics learners.

Schools offer a variety of opportunities for parents to learn more about how to support their children:
for example, events related to mathematics may be held at the school (e.g., family math nights);
teachers may provide newsletters or communicate with parents through apps or social media; and
school or board websites may provide helpful tips about how parents can engage in their child’s
mathematics learning outside of school and may even provide links where they can learn more or enjoy
math activities together.

If parents need more information about what their children are learning, and how to support their
children’s success in mathematics, teachers are available to answer questions and provide information
and resources.

Teachers
Teachers are critical to the success of students in mathematics. Teachers are responsible for ensuring
that all students receive the highest quality of mathematics education. This requires them to have high
expectations of all students and to view all students as capable math learners. Teachers bring
enthusiasm and skill in providing varied and equitable instructional and assessment approaches to the
classroom, addressing individual students’ identities, profiles, strengths and needs, and ensuring
equitable, accessible, and engaging learning opportunities for every student. The attitude with which
teachers themselves approach mathematics is critical, as teachers are important role models for
students.

Teachers place students at the centre of their mathematics planning, teaching, and assessment
practices, and understand how the learning experiences they provide will develop a love of mathematics
and foster a positive “I can do math” attitude in all students. Teachers have a thorough understanding of
the mathematics content they teach, which enables them to provide relevant and responsive
opportunities through which all students can develop their understanding of mathematical knowledge,
concepts, and skills. Teachers understand the learning continuum along which students develop their
mathematical thinking and can thus support all students’ movement along this continuum. Teachers
support students in developing their ability to solve problems, reason mathematically, and connect the
mathematics they are learning to the real world around them. Teachers provide ongoing meaningful
feedback to all students about their mathematics achievement, which helps to build confidence. They
recognize the importance of emphasizing the usefulness of mathematics in students’ lives, and of
integrating mathematics with other areas of the curriculum – such as making connections with science,
engineering, and technology to answer scientific questions or solve problems. They recognize the
importance of helping students learn about careers involving mathematics, and of supporting the
development of a positive attitude towards mathematics and student mathematical agency.

As part of effective teaching practice, teachers communicate with parents, using multiple ways and by
both formal and informal means to meet the diverse needs of families, and to better understand

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students’ mathematical experiences outside of the school. In addition, teachers discuss with parents
what their children are learning in mathematics at school. Communication enables parents to work in
partnership with the school, leading to stronger connections between the home and school to support
student learning and achievement in mathematics.

Principals
Principals model the importance of lifelong learning, and of how mathematics plays a vital role in the
future success of students. Principals provide support for the successful implementation of the
mathematics curriculum by emphasizing the importance of mathematics, by promoting the idea that all
students are capable of becoming confident mathematics learners, and by encouraging a positive and
proactive attitude towards mathematics and student agency in mathematics.

The principal works in partnership with teachers and parents to ensure that all students have access to
the best possible educational experience. To support student learning, principals monitor the
implementation of the Ontario mathematics curriculum. Principals ensure that English language learners
are being provided the accommodations and/or modifications they require for success in the
mathematics program. Principals are also responsible for ensuring that every student who has an
Individual Education Plan (IEP) is receiving the modifications and/or accommodations described in their
plan – in other words, for ensuring that the IEP is properly developed, implemented, and monitored.

Ensuring that teachers have the agency, support, confidence, resources, and tools they need to deliver a
high-quality program is essential. Principals collaborate with teachers and school and system leaders to
develop professional learning opportunities that deepen teachers’ knowledge of the curriculum,
mathematical content, and pedagogy, and enhance their self-efficacy in teaching
mathematics. Additional professional learning and support to increase teachers’ knowledge, awareness,
and comfort level in teaching mathematics may be provided by principals where necessary.

Community Partners
Community partners are an important resource for a school’s mathematics education program.
Relationships with local businesses, volunteer groups, and community organizations, such as those for
newcomer families, can provide opportunities for authentic perspectives and real-world application of
mathematics. Nurturing partnerships with other schools can facilitate the sharing of resources,
strategies, and facilities; the development of professional learning opportunities for staff; and the
hosting of special events such as family math nights or a mathematics community walk.

Communities provide social contexts for learning. Students bring knowledge and experiences from their
homes and communities that can be powerful assets in creating productive environments for learning.
By involving others in the community, teachers and principals can position mathematics learning as

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collaborative and experiential. Membership in a community also helps students develop a sense of
identity and belonging and build their identity as mathematics learners.

The Program in Mathematics

Curriculum Expectations

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2020 identifies the expectations for each grade and
describes the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students are expected to acquire, demonstrate, and
apply in their class work and activities, on tests, in demonstrations, and in various other activities on
which their achievement is assessed and evaluated.

Mandatory learning is described in the overall and specific expectations of the curriculum.

Two sets of expectations – overall expectations and specific expectations – are listed for each strand, or
broad area of the curriculum, in mathematics for Grades 1 to 8. The strands include Strand A and five
strands, lettered B, C, D, E, and F. Taken together, the overall and specific expectations represent the
mandated curriculum.

The overall expectations describe in general terms the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students are
expected to demonstrate by the end of each grade. The specific expectations describe the expected
knowledge, concepts, and skills in greater detail. The specific expectations are grouped under numbered
subheadings, each of which indicates the strand and the overall expectation to which the group of
specific expectations corresponds (e.g., “B2” indicates that the group relates to overall expectation 2 in
strand B). This organization is not meant to imply that the expectations in any one group are achieved
independently of the expectations in the other groups, nor is it intended to imply that learning the
expectations happens in a linear, sequential way. The numbered headings are used merely as an
organizational structure to help teachers focus on particular aspects of knowledge, concepts, and skills
as they develop various lessons and learning activities for students. In the mathematics curriculum,
strands B to F use additional subheadings within each group of expectations to identify the topics
addressed in the strand.

In the mathematics curriculum, the overall expectations outline the fundamental knowledge, concepts,
and skills that are required for engaging in appropriate mathematical situations in and out of the
classroom at any grade or stage of development. For this reason, the overall expectations generally
remain the same from Grades 1 to 8. The curriculum focuses on connecting, developing, reinforcing, and
refining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students acquire as they work towards meeting the
overall expectations in the elementary school program. This approach reflects and accommodates the
progressive nature of development of knowledge, concepts, and skills in mathematics learning.

The specific expectations reflect this progression in knowledge and skill development through changes in
the wordings of the expectations and through the introduction of new expectations, where appropriate.
The progression is captured by the increasing complexity of the pedagogical supports (see below)

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associated with most expectations and by the increasing specificity of mathematical relationships, the
diversity of contexts in which the learning is applied, and the variety of opportunities presented for
applying it. It should be noted that all the skills specified in the early grades continue to be developed
and refined as students move through the grades, whether or not each of those skills continues to be
explicitly required in an expectation.

There is an exception in Strand C: Algebra, where the overall expectation on mathematical modelling
has no accompanying specific expectations. This is because mathematical modelling is an integrated
process that is applied in various contexts, allowing students to extend and apply what they have
learned in other strands. Students’ demonstration of the process of mathematical modelling, as they
apply knowledge, concepts, and skills learned in other strands, is assessed and evaluated.

In addition to the expectations outlined within the other five strands, Strand A focuses on the
development and application of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills while using mathematical
processes. These skills support students’ understanding of mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills
and foster their overall well-being and ability to learn while helping them build resilience and thrive as
mathematics learners. As they develop SEL skills, students demonstrate a greater ability to understand
and apply the mathematical processes, which are critical to supporting learning in mathematics. In all
grades of the mathematics program, the learning related to this strand takes place in the context of
learning related to the other five strands and is assessed and evaluated within these contexts.

Examples, Key Concepts, and Sample Tasks

Specific expectations are accompanied by examples, key concepts, and/or sample tasks. These elements
or “pedagogical supports” are intended to promote understanding of the intent of the specific
expectations, and are offered as illustrations for teachers. The pedagogical supports do not set out
requirements for student learning; they are optional, not mandatory.

The examples are meant to illustrate the intent of the expectation, illustrating the kind of knowledge or
skill, the specific area of learning, the depth of learning, and/or the level of complexity that the
expectation entails. The key concepts identify the central principles and mathematical ideas that
underpin the learning in that specific expectation. The sample tasks have been developed to model
appropriate practice for the grade. They provide possible learning activities for teachers to use with
students and illustrate connections between the mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills.
Teachers can choose to draw on the sample tasks that are appropriate for their classrooms, or they may
develop their own approaches that reflect a similar level of complexity. Whatever the specific ways in
which the requirements outlined in the expectations are implemented in the classroom, they must,
wherever possible, be inclusive and reflect the diversity of the student population and the population of
the province. Teachers will notice that some of the sample tasks not only address the requirements of
the expectation they are associated with but also incorporate mathematical concepts or skills described
in expectations in other strands in the same grade.

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The Mathematical Processes
Students learn and apply the mathematical processes as they work to achieve the expectations outlined
in the curriculum. All students are actively engaged in applying these processes throughout the
program. They apply these processes, together with social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, across the
curriculum to support learning in mathematics. See the section “Strand A: Social-Emotional Learning
(SEL) Skills in Mathematics and the Mathematical Processes” for more information.

The mathematical processes that support effective learning in mathematics are as follows:

• problem solving
• reasoning and proving
• reflecting
• connecting
• communicating
• representing
• selecting tools and strategies

The mathematical processes can be seen as the processes through which all students acquire and apply
mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills. These processes are interconnected. Problem solving and
communicating have strong links to all the other processes. A problem-solving approach encourages
students to reason their way to a solution or a new understanding. As students engage in reasoning,
teachers further encourage them to pose questions, make conjectures, and justify solutions, orally and
in writing. The communication and reflection that occur before, during, and after the process of
problem solving help students not only to articulate and refine their thinking but also to see the problem
they are solving from different perspectives. This opens the door to recognizing the range of strategies
that can be used to arrive at a solution. By seeing how others solve a problem, students can begin to
reflect on their own thinking (a process known as “metacognition”) and the thinking of others, as well as
their own language use (a process known as “metalinguistic awareness”), and to consciously adjust their
own strategies in order to make their solutions as efficient and accurate as possible.

The mathematical processes cannot be separated from the knowledge, concepts, and skills that
students acquire throughout the year. All students problem solve, communicate, reason, reflect, and so
on, as they develop the knowledge, the understanding of mathematical concepts, and the skills required
in all the strands in every grade.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is central to doing mathematics. By learning to solve problems and by learning through
problem solving, students are given, and create, numerous opportunities to connect mathematical ideas
and to develop conceptual understanding. Problem solving forms the basis of effective mathematics
programs that place all students’ experiences and queries at the centre. Thus, problem solving should be
the mainstay of mathematical instruction. It is considered an essential process through which all

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students are able to achieve the expectations in mathematics and is an integral part of the Ontario
mathematics curriculum.

Problem solving:

• increases opportunities for the use of critical thinking skills (e.g., selecting appropriate tools and
strategies, estimating, evaluating, classifying, assuming, recognizing relationships, conjecturing,
posing questions, offering opinions with reasons, making judgements) to develop mathematical
reasoning;
• helps all students develop a positive math identity;
• allows all students to use the rich prior mathematical knowledge they bring to school;
• helps all students make connections among mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills, and
between the classroom and situations outside the classroom;
• promotes the collaborative sharing of ideas and strategies and promotes talking about
mathematics;
• facilitates the use of creative-thinking skills when developing solutions and approaches;
• helps students find enjoyment in mathematics and become more confident in their ability to do
mathematics.

Most importantly, when problem solving is in a mathematical context relevant to students’ experiences
and derived from their own problem posing, it furthers their understanding of mathematics and
develops their math agency.

Problem-Solving Strategies. Problem-solving strategies are methods that can be used to solve problems
of various types. Common problem-solving strategies include the following: simulating; making a model,
picture, or diagram; looking for a pattern; guessing and checking; making an organized list; making a
table or chart; solving a simpler version of the problem (e.g., with smaller numbers); working backwards;
and using logical reasoning. Teachers can support all students as they develop their use of these
strategies by engaging with solving various kinds of problems – instructional problems, routine
problems, and non-routine problems. As students develop this repertoire over time, they become more
confident in posing their own questions, more mature in their problem-solving skills, and more flexible
in using appropriate strategies when faced with new problem-solving situations.

Reasoning and Proving

Reasoning and proving are a mainstay of mathematics and involves students using their understanding
of mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills to justify their thinking. Proportional reasoning,
algebraic reasoning, spatial reasoning, statistical reasoning, and probabilistic reasoning are all forms of
mathematical reasoning. Students also use their understanding of numbers and operations, geometric
properties, and measurement relationships to reason through solutions to problems. Teachers can
provide all students with learning opportunities where they must form mathematical conjectures and
then test or prove them to see if they hold true. Initially, students may rely on the viewpoints of others
to justify a choice or an approach to a solution. As they develop their own reasoning skills, they will
begin to justify or prove their solutions by providing evidence.

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Reflecting

Students reflect when they are working through a problem to monitor their thought process, to identify
what is working and what is not working, and to consider whether their approach is appropriate or
whether there may be a better approach. Students also reflect after they have solved a problem by
considering the reasonableness of their answer and whether adjustments need to be made. Teachers
can support all students as they develop their reflecting and metacognitive skills by asking questions
that have them examine their thought processes, as well as questions that have them think about other
students’ thought processes. Students can also reflect on how their new knowledge can be applied to
past and future problems in mathematics.

Connecting

Experiences that allow all students to make connections – to see, for example, how knowledge,
concepts, and skills from one strand of mathematics are related to those from another – will help them
to grasp general mathematical principles. Through making connections, students learn that mathematics
is more than a series of isolated skills and concepts and that they can use their learning in one area of
mathematics to understand another. Seeing the relationships among procedures and concepts also
helps develop mathematical understanding. The more connections students make, the deeper their
understanding, and understanding, in turn, helps them to develop their sense of identity. In addition,
making connections between the mathematics they learn at school and its applications in their everyday
lives not only helps students understand mathematics but also allows them to understand how useful
and relevant it is in the world beyond the classroom. These kinds of connections will also contribute to
building students’ mathematical identities.

Communicating

Communication is an essential process in learning mathematics. Students communicate for various

purposes and for different audiences, such as the teacher, a peer, a group of students, the whole class, a
community member, or their family. They may use oral, visual, written, or gestural communication.
Communication also involves active and respectful listening. Teachers provide differentiated
opportunities for all students to acquire the language of mathematics, developing their communication
skills, which include expressing, understanding, and using appropriate mathematical terminology,
symbols, conventions, and models.

For example, teachers can ask students to:

• share and clarify their ideas, understandings, and solutions;

• create and defend mathematical arguments;
• provide meaningful descriptive feedback to peers; and
• pose and ask relevant questions.

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Effective classroom communication requires a supportive, safe, and respectful environment in which all
members of the class feel comfortable and valued when they speak and when they question, react to,
and elaborate on the statements of their peers and the teacher.

Representing

Students represent mathematical ideas and relationships and model situations using tools, pictures,
diagrams, graphs, tables, numbers, words, and symbols. Teachers recognize and value the varied
representations students begin learning with, as each student may have different prior access to and
experiences with mathematics. While encouraging student engagement and affirming the validity of
their representations, teachers help students reflect on the appropriateness of their representations
and refine them. Teachers support students as they make connections among various representations
that are relevant to both the student and the audience they are communicating with, so that all
students can develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and relationships. All students
are supported as they use the different representations appropriately and as needed to model
situations, solve problems, and communicate their thinking.

Selecting Tools and Strategies

Students develop the ability to select appropriate technologies, tools, and strategies to perform
particular mathematical tasks, to investigate mathematical ideas, and to solve problems.

Technology. A wide range of technological and digital tools can be used in many contexts for students to
interact with, learn, and do mathematics.

Students can use:

• calculators and computers to perform complex operations; create graphs; and collect, organize,
and display data;
• digital tools, apps, and social media to investigate mathematical concepts and develop an
understanding of mathematical relationships;
• statistical software to manipulate, analyse, represent, sort, and communicate data;
• software to code;
• dynamic geometry software and online geometry tools to develop spatial sense;
• computer programs to represent and simulate mathematical situations (i.e., mathematical
modelling);
• communications technologies to support and communicate their thinking and learning;
• computers, tablets, and mobile devices to access mathematical information available on the
websites of organizations around the world and to develop information literacy.

Developing the ability to perform mental computations is an important aspect of student learning in
mathematics. Students must, therefore, use technology with discretion, and only when it makes sense

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to do so. When students use technology in their mathematics learning, they should apply mental
computation, reasoning, and estimation skills to predict and check answers.

Tools. All students should be encouraged to select and use tools to illustrate mathematical ideas.
Students come to understand that making their own representations is a powerful means of building
understanding and of explaining their thinking to others. Using tools helps students:

• see patterns and relationships;

• make connections between mathematical concepts and between concrete and abstract
representations;
• test, revise, and confirm their reasoning;
• remember how they solved a problem;
• communicate their reasoning to others, including by gesturing.

Strategies. Problem solving often requires students to select an appropriate strategy. Students learn to
judge when an exact answer is needed and when an estimate is all that is required, and they use this
knowledge to guide their selection. For example, computational strategies include mental computation
and estimation to develop a sense of the numbers and operations involved. The selection of a
computational strategy is based on the flexibility students have with applying operations to the numbers
they are working with. Sometimes, their strategy may involve the use of algorithms or the composition
and decomposition of numbers using known facts. Students can also create computational
representations of mathematical situations using code.

The Strands in the Mathematics Curriculum

The expectations in the mathematics curriculum are organized into six distinct but related strands: A.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills in Mathematics and the Mathematical Processes; B. Number; C.
Algebra; D. Data; E. Spatial Sense; and F. Financial Literacy.

The program in all grades is designed to ensure that students build a solid foundation in mathematics
and develop a positive mathematical identity by connecting and applying mathematical concepts in a
variety of ways. To support this process, teachers capitalize on students’ prior knowledge, skills, and
experiences; integrate concepts from across the strands; and often apply the mathematics that students
are learning to types of situations that might occur outside the classroom.

The following chart shows the flow of the learning through the curriculum and the interrelationships
among its various components.

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 Strand E. Spatial Strand F. Financial
Strand B. Number Strand C. Algebra Strand D. Data
Sense Literacy
B1. Number Sense C1. Patterns and D1. Data Literacy E1. Geometric Grades 1 to 8:
• whole Relations • data and Spatial F1. Money
numbers • patterns collection Reasoning • money
• rational C2. Equations and • geometr concepts
and and Inequalities organizati ic Grades 4 to 8:
irrational • variables on reasonin F1. Finances
numbers and • data g • financial
• fractions, expressio visualizati • location manageme
decimals, ns on and nt
and • equalities • data moveme • consumer
percents and analysis nt and civic
B2. Operations inequaliti D2. Probability E2. awareness
• properties es Measurement
and C3. Coding • attribute
relationshi • coding s
ps skills • length
• math facts C4. • mass,
• mental Mathematical capacity
math Modelling and
• addition volume
and • area and
subtraction surface
• multiplicati area
on and • angles
division • time
• the
metric
system

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Strand A - Social-Emotional Learning and Mathematical Processes
There is strong evidence that developing social-emotional learning skills at school contributes to all
students’ overall health and well-being and to successful academic performance. It also supports
positive mental health, as well as students’ ability to learn, build resilience, and thrive. The development
of social-emotional learning skills throughout their school years will support all students in becoming
healthier and more successful in their daily lives and as contributing members of society. In all grades,
learning related to the expectations in this strand occurs in the context of learning related to the other
five strands and is assessed and evaluated within these contexts.

Social-emotional learning skills can be developed across all subjects of the curriculum – including
mathematics – as well as during various school activities, at home, and in the community. These skills
support students in understanding mathematical concepts and in applying the mathematical processes
that are key to learning and doing mathematics. They help all students – and indeed all learners,
including educators and parents – develop confidence, cope with challenges, and think critically. This in
turn enables them to improve and demonstrate mathematics knowledge, concepts, and skills in a
variety of situations. Social-emotional learning skills help every student develop a positive identity as a
capable “math learner”.

In all grades, Strand A comprises a single overall expectation and a chart listing the social-emotional
learning skills, the mathematical processes, and the expected outcomes when students use these skills
and processes to show their understanding and application of the mathematical content. The
progression of learning from grade to grade is indicated in the examples, which are linked to each social-
emotional learning skill in each grade and which highlight how the skills can be integrated with learning
across the other five strands. The content and application of the learning changes as students develop
and mature. Students’ application of the social-emotional learning skills and mathematical processes
must be assessed and evaluated2 as a part of their achievement of the overall expectations in each of the
strands for every grade.

The chart in Strand A outlines the social-emotional learning skills, the mathematical processes, and the
expected outcomes when students apply both as they learn and do mathematics. The interaction of
skills and processes is variable: Different social-emotional learning skills may be applied at different
times in connection with different mathematical processes to achieve the outcomes.

Social-Emotional Learning Skills: Key Components and Sample Strategies

2Beginning in the 2021–22 school year, schools are asked not to assess, evaluate or report on the
overall expectations related to social-emotional learning skills in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8,
Mathematics (2020) and The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8, Health and Physical Education (2019). It is
the ministry’s expectation that instruction of the social-emotional learning skills will continue while
educators engage in ongoing professional learning.

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The following chart provides detailed information about each of the skills, including key ideas and
sample strategies.

Skills
What are the skills? How do they help? What do they Key Components and Sample Strategies
look like in mathematics?
Identification and Management of Emotions • Recognizing a range of emotions in
Students often experience a range of emotions over self and others
the course of their day at school. They may feel • Gauging the intensity and/or the
happy, sad, angry, frustrated, or excited, or any level of emotion
number of emotions in combination. Students, and • Understanding connections between
especially younger children, may struggle to identify thoughts, feelings, and actions
and appropriately express their feelings. Learning to • Recognizing that new or challenging
recognize different emotions, and to manage them learning may involve a sense of
effectively, can help students function and interact excitement or an initial sense of
more successfully. When students understand the discomfort
influence of thoughts and emotions on behaviour, • Managing strong emotions and using
they can improve the quality of their interactions. In strategies to self-regulate
mathematics, as they learn new mathematics • Applying strategies such as:
concepts and interact with others while problem • using a “feelings chart” to
solving, students have many opportunities to develop learn words to express
awareness of their emotions and to use feelings
communication skills to express their feelings and to
• using a “feelings
respond constructively when they recognize emotions
thermometer” or pictures to
in others.
gauge intensity of emotion
• Problem solving
Stress Management and Coping
Every day, students are exposed to a range of • Seeking support from peers,
challenges that can contribute to feelings of stress. As teachers, family, or their extended
they learn stress management and coping skills, they community
come to recognize that stress is a part of life and that • Managing stress through physical
it can be managed. We can learn ways to respond to activity
challenges that enable us to “bounce back” and, in • Applying strategies such as:
this way, build resilience in the face of life’s obstacles. • breaking a task or problem
Over time, with support, practice, feedback, down into pieces and tackling
reflection, and experience, students begin to build a one piece at a time
set of personal coping strategies that they can carry • thinking of a similar problem
with them through life. In mathematics, students • deep breathing
work through challenging problems, understanding • guided imagery
that their resourcefulness in using coping strategies is
• stretching
helping them build personal resilience.
• pausing and reflecting

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 Positive Motivation and Perseverance
• Reframing negative thoughts and
experiences
Positive motivation and perseverance skills help
students to “take a long view” and remain hopeful • Practising perseverance
even when their personal and/or immediate • Embracing mistakes as a necessary
circumstances are difficult. With regular use, practices and helpful part of learning
and habits of mind that promote positive motivation • Reflecting on things to be grateful
help students approach challenges in life with an for and expressing gratitude
optimistic and positive mindset and an understanding • Practising optimism
that there is struggle in most successes and that • Applying strategies such as:
repeated effort can lead to success. These practices • using an iterative approach by
include noticing strengths and positive aspects of trying out different methods,
experiences, reframing negative thoughts, expressing including estimating and
gratitude, practising optimism, and practising guessing and checking, to
perseverance – appreciating the value of practice, of support problem solving
making mistakes, and of the learning process. In
• supporting peers by
mathematics students have regular opportunities to
encouraging them to keep
apply these practices as they solve problems and
trying if they make a mistake
develop an appreciation for learning from mistakes as
• using personal affirmations
a part of the learning process.
like “I can do this.”
Healthy Relationship Skills
When students interact in positive and meaningful
ways with others, mutually respecting diversity of • Being cooperative and collaborative
thought and expression, their sense of belonging • Using conflict-resolution skills
within the school and community is enhanced. • Listening attentively
Learning healthy relationship skills helps students
• Being respectful
establish positive patterns of communication and
inspires healthy, cooperative relationships. These
• Considering other ideas and
perspectives
skills include the ability to understand and appreciate
another person’s perspective, to empathize with • Practising kindness and empathy
others, to listen attentively, to be assertive, and to • Applying strategies such as:
apply conflict-resolution skills. In mathematics, • seeking opportunities to help
students have opportunities to develop and practise others
skills that support positive interaction with others as • taking turns playing different
they work together in small groups or in pairs to solve roles (e.g., leader, scribe or
math problems and confront challenges. Developing illustrator, data collector,
these skills helps students to communicate with observer) when working in
teachers, peers, and family about mathematics with groups
an appreciation of the beauty and wonder of
mathematics.

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 Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity
• Knowing oneself
Knowing who we are and having a sense of purpose
and meaning in our lives enables us to function in the • Caring for oneself
world as self-aware individuals. Our sense of identity • Having a sense of mattering and of
enables us to make choices that support our well- purpose
being and allows us to connect with and have a sense • Identifying personal strengths
of belonging in various cultural and social • Having a sense of belonging and
communities. Educators should note that for First community
Nations, Métis, and Inuit students, the term “sense of • Communicating their thinking,
identity and belonging” may also mean belonging to positive emotions, and excitement
and identifying with a particular community and/or about mathematics
nation. Self-awareness and identity skills help • Applying strategies such as:
students explore who they are – their strengths, • building their identity as a
difficulties, preferences, interests, values, and math learner as they learn
ambitions – and how their social and cultural contexts independently as a result of
have influenced them. In mathematics, as they learn their efforts and challenges
new skills, students use self-awareness skills to
• monitoring progress in skill
monitor their progress and identify their strengths; in
development
the process, they build their identity as capable math
learners. Educators play a key role in reinforcing that • reflecting on strengths and
everyone – students, educators, and parents – is a accomplishments and sharing
math learner and in sharing an appreciation of the these with peers or caring
beauty and wonder of mathematics. adults
Critical and Creative Thinking • Making connections
Critical and creative thinking skills enable us to make • Making decisions
informed judgements and decisions on the basis of a • Evaluating choices, reflecting on and
clear and full understanding of ideas and situations, assessing strategies
and their implications, in a variety of settings and • Communicating effectively
contexts. Students learn to question, interpret,
• Managing time
predict, analyse, synthesize, detect bias, and
distinguish between alternatives. They practise
• Setting goals
making connections, setting goals, creating plans, • Applying organizational skills
making and evaluating decisions, and analysing and • Applying strategies such as:
solving problems for which there may be no clearly • determining what is known
defined answers. Executive functioning skills – the and what needs to be found
skills and processes that allow us to take initiative, • using various webs, charts,
focus, plan, retain and transfer learning, and diagrams, and
determine priorities – also support critical and representations to help
creative thinking. In all aspects of the mathematics identify connections and
curriculum, students have opportunities to develop interrelationships
critical and creative thinking skills. Students have • using organizational strategies
opportunities to build on prior learning, go deeper, and tools, such as planners,
and make personal connections through real-life trackers, and goal-setting
applications. frameworks

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Strand B - Number
Understanding how numbers work is foundational to many aspects of mathematics. Recognizing and
understanding number properties is foundational to developing an understanding of branches of
mathematics such as arithmetic and algebra. In the Number strand, as students progress through
Grades 1 to 8, they learn about different types of numbers and how those numbers behave when
various operations are applied to them.

A vital aspect of number work in elementary grades is to build what is often called number sense, where
students develop the ability to flexibly relate numbers and relate computations. Students who have
developed number sense regularly use number relationships to make sense of calculations and to assess
the reasonableness of numbers used to describe situations, for example, in the media.

Students learn to count effectively and then become fluent with math facts in order to perform
calculations efficiently and accurately, whether mentally or by using algorithms on paper. This strand is
built on the belief that it is important to develop automaticity, which is the ability to use mathematical
skills or perform mathematical procedures with little or no mental effort. Automaticity with math facts
enables students to engage in critical thinking and problem solving.

Most students learn math facts gradually over a number of years, connecting to prior knowledge, using
tools and calculators. Mastery comes with practice, and practice helps to build fluency and depth.
Students draw on their ability to apply math facts as they manipulate algebraic expressions, equations,
and inequalities. Mental math skills involve the ability to perform mathematical calculations without
relying on pencil and paper. They enable students to estimate answers to calculations, and so to work
accurately and efficiently on everyday problems and judge the reasonableness of answers that they
have arrived at through calculation. In order to develop effective mental math strategies, all students
need to have strong skills in number sense and a solid conceptual understanding of the operations.

Though individual students may progress at different rates, generally speaking, addition/subtraction
facts should be mastered by the end of Grade 3, and multiplication/division facts should be mastered by
the end of Grade 5.3 However, all students should continue to learn about effective strategies and to
practice and extend their proficiency in the operations throughout the grades and in the context of
learning in all the strands of the mathematics curriculum.

Strand C - Algebra
In this strand, students develop algebraic reasoning through working with patterns, variables,
expressions, equations, inequalities, coding, and the process of mathematical modelling.

3Chapin, S. H., & Johnson, A. (2006). Math matters: Understanding the math you teach, Grades K–8 (2nd
ed.). Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications.

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As students progress through the grades, they study a variety of patterns, including those found in real
life. Students learn to identify regularities in numeric and non-numeric patterns and classify them based
on the characteristics of those regularities. They create and translate patterns using various
representations. Students determine pattern rules for various patterns in order to extend them, make
near and far predictions, and determine their missing elements. They develop recursive and functional
thinking as well as additive and multiplicative thinking as they work with linear patterns, and use this
thinking to develop the general terms of the patterns to solve for unknown values. Understanding
patterns and determining the relationship between two variables has many connections to science and
is foundational to further mathematics. In the primary grades, students focus on understanding which
quantities remain the same and which can change in everyday contexts, and on how to establish
equality between numerical expressions. In the junior and intermediate grades, students work with
variables in algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities in various contexts.

As students progress through the grades, their coding experiences also progress, from representing
movements on a grid, to solving problems involving optimization, to manipulating models to find which
one best fits the data they are working with in order to make predictions. Coding can be incorporated
across all strands and provides students with opportunities to apply and extend their math thinking,
reasoning, and communicating.

Students in all grades also engage in the process of mathematical modelling.

The Mathematical Modelling Process

Mathematical modelling provides authentic connections to real-life situations. The process starts with
ill-defined, often messy real-life problems that may have several different solutions that are all correct.
Mathematical modelling requires the modeller to be critical and creative and make choices,
assumptions, and decisions. Through this process, they create a mathematical model that describes a
situation using mathematical concepts and language, and that can be used to solve a problem or make
decisions and can be used to deepen understanding of mathematical concepts.

The process of mathematical modelling4 has four key components that are interconnected and applied
in an iterative way, where students may move between and across, as well as return to, each of the four
components as they change conditions to observe new outcomes until the model is ready to be shared
and acted upon. While moving through these components, social-emotional learning skills and
mathematical processes are applied as needed.

1. Understand the problem

• What questions need answering?

4Hirsch, C. R., & McDuffie, A. R. (Eds.). (2016). Annual perspectives in mathematics education 2016:
Mathematical modeling and modeling mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics.

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 • What information is needed?

2. Analyse the situation

• What assumptions do I make about the situation?

• What changes, what remains the same?

3. Create a mathematical model

• What representations, tools, technologies, and strategies will help build the model?
• What mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills might be involved?

4. Analyse and assess the model

• Can this model provide a solution?

• What are alternative models?

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Strand D - Data
The related topics of statistics and probability, which are addressed in this strand, are highly relevant to
real life. The public is bombarded with data through advertising, opinion polls, politics, population
trends, and scientific discoveries, to name just a few. Thus, one of the key focuses in this strand is to
support students in developing critical thinking skills throughout their development of data literacy, so
that they can analyse, synthesize, understand, generate, and use data, both as consumers and
producers.

The main purpose for collecting and organizing data is to gather information in order to answer
questions. When questions stimulate students’ curiosity, they become engaged in collecting, organizing,
and interpreting the data that provide answers to their questions. Relevant questions often arise from
class discussions; classroom events, issues, and thematic activities; and topics in various subject areas.
When students collect and organize data, they have an opportunity to learn more about themselves,
their environment, issues in their school or community, and so on. Learning activities should help
students understand the processes that are involved in formulating questions, seeking relevant
information, and organizing that information in meaningful ways. Involving students in collecting and
organizing data allows them to participate in the decision making that is required at different steps of
the process.

As students progress through the grades, they develop an understanding of qualitative data and both
discrete and continuous quantitative data, and use that understanding to select appropriate ways to
organize and display data. Students learn the fundamentals of statistics and develop the skills to
visualize and critically analyse data, including identifying any possible biases within the data. Starting in
the junior grades, students make intentional choices in creating infographics in order to represent key
information about a set of data for a particular audience and to engage in the critical interpretation of
data. In addition, students learn how to use data to make compelling arguments about questions of
interest.

The learning in this strand also supports students in developing probabilistic reasoning. As students
progress through the grades, they begin to understand the relationship between probability and data,
and how data is used to make predictions about populations. Students’ intuitive understanding of
probability is nurtured in the early grades to help them make connections to their prior experience with
probability in everyday life, beginning with simply understanding that some events are likely to happen
while others are not likely. Eventually, students begin to understand and represent these probabilities as
fractions, decimals and percents. From Grades 5 to 8, students compare experimental probabilities
involving independent and dependent events with their theoretical probabilities, and use these
measures to make predictions about events.

Strand E - Spatial Sense

This strand combines the areas of geometry and measurement in order to emphasize the relationship
between the two areas and to highlight the role of spatial reasoning in underpinning the development of

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both. Study in this strand provides students with the language and tools to analyse, compare, describe,
and navigate the world around them. It is a gateway to professions in other STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) disciplines, and builds foundational skills needed for construction,
architecture, engineering, research, and design.

In this strand, students analyse the properties of shapes – the elements that define a shape and make it
unique – and use these properties to define, compare, and construct shapes and objects, as well as to
explore relationships among properties. Students begin with an intuition about their surroundings and
the objects in them, and learn to visualize objects from different perspectives. Over time, students
develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of size, shape, location, movement, and change, in
both two and three dimensions. They understand and choose appropriate units to estimate, measure,
and compare attributes, and they use appropriate tools to make measurements. They apply their
understanding of the relationships between shapes and measurement to develop formulas to calculate
length, area, volume, and more.

Strand F - Financial Literacy

All Ontario students need the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for managing their personal
financial well-being with confidence, competence, a critical and compassionate awareness of the world
around them.

Financial Literacy is a dedicated strand throughout the elementary math curriculum. Financial literacy is
more than just knowing about money and financial matters and having the skills to work with this
knowledge. Students develop the confidence and capacity to successfully apply the necessary
knowledge, concepts, and skills in a range of relevant real-life contexts and for a range of purposes. They
also develop the ability to make informed decisions as consumers and citizens while taking into account
the ethical, societal, environmental, and personal aspects of those decisions.

In Grades 1 to 3, students demonstrate an understanding of the value and use of money by recognizing
Canadian coins and bills, representing various amounts, and calculating change in simple transactions. In
Grades 4 to 8, students extend their learning to the knowledge, concepts, and skills required to make
informed financial decisions relevant to their lived experiences and plan simple sample budgets.
Students begin to develop consumer and civic awareness in the junior and intermediate grades. Making
connections to what they are learning in the Media Literacy strand of the language curriculum as well as
the social studies, history and geography curriculum, students become informed consumers and learn
about the broader economic systems in their local communities, communities in other global contexts
that their families are connected to, and beyond. Educators consider and respond to the range of equity
issues related to the diverse circumstances and lived experiences of students and their families.

This strand connects with other mathematics strands in many ways, such as applying knowledge,
concepts, and skills related to:

• numbers and operations to calculate change;

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 • percents to calculate sales tax and interest;
• mathematical modelling to understand real-life financial situations, including the financial
applications of linear rates;
• unit rates to compare goods and services, and mental math to quickly determine those with the
best value;
• social-emotional learning to become confident and critical consumers, and to persevere in
managing financial well-being.

Some Considerations for Program Planning in

Mathematics
Teachers consider many factors when planning a mathematics program that cultivates the best possible
environment in which all students can maximize their mathematical learning. This section highlights the
key strategies and approaches that teachers and school leaders should consider as they plan effective
and inclusive mathematics programs. Additional information can be found in the “Considerations for
Program Planning” section, which provides information applicable to all curricula.

Instructional Approaches in Mathematics

Instruction in mathematics should support all students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and habits of
mind they need in order to achieve the curriculum expectations and be able to enjoy and participate in
mathematics learning for years to come.

Effective math instruction begins with knowing the identity and profile of the students, having high
expectations for and of all students, and believing that all students can learn and do mathematics. It
uses culturally relevant and responsive practices and differentiated learning experiences to meet
individual students' learning strengths and needs. It focuses on the development of conceptual
understanding and procedural fluency, skill development, communication, and problem-solving skills. It
takes place in a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment, where all students feel valued,
empowered, engaged, and able to take risks and approach the learning of mathematics in a confident
manner. Instruction that is student-centred and that builds on students’ strengths is effective as it
motivates and engages students meaningfully and instils positive habits of mind, such as curiosity and
open-mindedness; a willingness to think, to question, to challenge and be challenged; and an awareness
of the value of listening intently, reading thoughtfully, and communicating with clarity.

Learning should be relevant and inspired by the lived realities of all students and embedded in
authentic, real-life contexts that allow students to develop the fundamental mathematical concepts and
skills and to see the beauty and wide-ranging nature of mathematics. This approach enables students to
use mathematical reasoning to see connections throughout their lives.

High-Impact Practices

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Teachers understand the importance of knowing the identities and profiles of all students and of
choosing the instructional approaches that will best support student learning. The approaches that
teachers employ vary according to both the learning outcomes and the needs of the students, and
teachers choose from and use a variety of accessible, equitable high-impact instructional practices.

The thoughtful use of these high-impact instructional practices – including knowing when to use them
and how they might be combined to best support the achievement of specific math goals – is an
essential component of effective math instruction. Researchers have found that the following practices
consistently have a high impact on teaching and learning mathematics:5

• Learning Goals, Success Criteria, and Descriptive Feedback. Learning goals and success criteria
outline the intention for the lesson and how this intention will be achieved to ensure teachers
and students have a clear and common understanding of what is being learned and what
success looks like. The use of descriptive feedback involves providing students with the precise
information they need in order to reach the intended learning goal. Using this practice makes all
other practices more effective.
• Direct Instruction. This is a concise, intentional form of instruction that begins with a clear
learning goal. It is not a lecture or a show-and-tell. Instead, direct instruction is a carefully
planned and focused approach that uses questioning, activities, or brief demonstrations to guide
learning, check for understanding, and make concepts clear. Direct instruction prioritizes
feedback and formative assessment throughout the learning process and concludes with a clear
summary of the learning.
• Problem-Solving Tasks and Experiences. It is an effective practice to use a problem, carefully
chosen by the teacher or students, to introduce, clarify, or apply a concept or skill. This practice
provides opportunities for students to demonstrate their agency by representing, connecting,
and justifying their thinking. Students communicate and reason with one another and generate
ideas that the teacher connects in order to highlight important concepts, refine existing
understanding, eliminate unfruitful strategies, and advance learning.
• Teaching about Problem Solving. Teaching students about the process of problem solving
makes explicit the critical thinking that problem solving requires. It involves teaching students to
identify what is known and unknown and to draw on similarities between various types of
problems. Teaching about problem solving involves using representations to model the
problem-solving situation. This practice reinforces that problem solving requires perseverance
and an awareness that mistakes can ultimately lead to growth in learning.
• Tools and Representations. The use of a variety of appropriate tools and representations
supports a conceptual understanding of mathematics at all grade levels. Carefully chosen and
used effectively, representations and tools such as manipulatives make math concepts
accessible to a wide range of learners. At the same time, student interactions with
representations and tools also give teachers insight into students’ thinking and learning.

5Hattie, J., Fisher, D., Frey, N., Gojak, L. M., Moore, S. D., & Mellman, W. (2017). Visible learning for
mathematics: What works best to optimize student learning, Grades K–12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Mathematics.

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 • Math Conversations. Effective math conversations provide multiple opportunities for all
students to engage in meaningful math talk by listening to and responding to the ideas of
others. These conversations involve reasoning, proving, building on the thinking of others,
defending and justifying their own thinking, and adjusting their perspectives as they build their
mathematical understanding, confidence, and identity.
• Small-Group Instruction. A powerful strategy for moving student learning forward, small-group
instruction involves targeted and timely mathematics instruction that meets the learning needs
of specific students at appropriate times. By working with small and flexible groups, whether
they are homogenous or heterogenous, the teachers can personalize learning in order to
prevent gaps from developing, close gaps that already exist, or extend thinking. Small-group
instruction also provides opportunities for teachers to learn more about student identities,
experiences, and communities, which the teachers can use as a basis for their mathematics
instruction.
• Deliberate Practice. Practice is best when it is purposeful and spaced over time. It must always
follow understanding. This ensures that there is continual, consistent, and relevant feedback, so
students know that they are practising correctly. Practice is an essential part of an effective
mathematics program.
• Flexible Groupings. The intentional combination of large-group, small-group, partnered, and
independent working arrangements, in response to student and class learning needs, can foster
a rich mathematical learning environment. Creating flexible groupings in a mathematics class
enables students to work independently of the teacher but with the support of their peers, and
it strengthens collaboration and communication skills. Regardless of the size of the group, it is of
utmost importance that individual students are accountable for and have ownership of their
learning.

While a lesson may prominently feature one of these high-impact practices, other practices will
inevitably also be involved. The practices are rarely used in isolation, nor is there any single “best”
instructional practice. Teachers choose the right practice, for the right time, in order to create an
optimal learning experience for all students. They use their knowledge of the students, a deep
understanding of the curriculum and of the mathematics that underpins the expectations, and a variety
of assessment strategies to determine which high-impact instructional practice, or combination of
practices, best supports the students. These decisions are made continually throughout a lesson. The
appropriate use of high-impact practices plays an important role in supporting student learning.

The Role of Information and Communication Technology in

Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum was developed with the understanding that the strategic use of technology
is part of a balanced mathematics program. Technology can extend and enrich teachers’ instructional
strategies to support all students’ learning in mathematics. Technology, when used in a thoughtful
manner, can support and foster the development of mathematical reasoning, problem solving, and
communication.

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When using technology to support the teaching and learning of mathematics, teachers consider the
issues of student safety, privacy, ethical responsibility, equity and inclusion, and well-being.

The strategic use of technology to support the achievement of the curriculum expectations requires a
strong understanding of:

• the mathematical concepts being addressed;

• high-impact teaching practices that can be used as appropriate to achieve the learning goals;
• the capacity of the chosen technology to augment the learning, and how to use this technology.

Technology can be used specifically to support the “doing” of mathematics (e.g., digital tools,
computation devices, calculators, data-collection programs) or to facilitate access to information and
allow better communication and collaboration (e.g., collaborative documents and web-based content
that enable students to connect with experts and other students, near or far). Technology can support
English language learners in accessing mathematics terminology and ways of solving problems in their
first language. Assistive technologies are critical in enabling some students with special education needs
to have equitable access to the curriculum and in supporting their learning, and must be provided in
accordance with students’ Individual Education Plan (IEP), as required.

Teachers understand the importance of technology and how it can be leveraged to support learning and
to ensure that the mathematics curriculum expectations can be met by all students. Additional
information can be found in the “The Role of Information and Communications Technology” subsection
of "Considerations for Program Planning”.

Planning Mathematics Programs for Students with Special Education

Needs
Classroom teachers are the key educators of students with special education needs. They have a
responsibility to support all students in their learning, and they work collaboratively with special
education teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. Classroom teachers commit to assisting
every student to prepare for living with the highest degree of independence possible. More information
on planning for and assessing students with special education needs can be found in the “Planning for
Students with Special Education Needs” subsection of “Considerations for Program Planning”.

Principles for Supporting Students with Special Education Needs

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The following principles6 guide teachers in effectively planning and teaching mathematics programs to
students with special education needs, and also benefit all students:

• The teacher plays a critical role in student success in mathematics.

• It is important for teachers to develop an understanding of the general principles of how
students learn mathematics.
• The learning expectations outline developmentally appropriate key concepts and skills of
mathematics across all of the strands that are interconnected and foundational.
• There is an important connection between procedural knowledge and conceptual
understanding of mathematics.
• The use of concrete representations and tools is fundamental to learning mathematics in all
grades and provides a way of representing both concepts and student understanding.
• The teaching and learning process involves ongoing assessment. Students with special education
needs should be provided with various opportunities to demonstrate their learning and thinking
in multiple ways.

An effective mathematics learning environment and program that addresses the mathematical learning
needs of students with special education needs is purposefully planned with the principles of Universal
Design for Learning in mind and integrates the following elements:

• knowing the student’s strengths, interests, motivations, and needs in mathematics learning in
order to differentiate learning and make accommodations and modifications as outlined in the
student’s Individual Education Plan;
• building the student’s confidence and a positive identity as a mathematics learner;
• valuing the student’s prior knowledge and connecting what the student knows with what the
student needs to learn;
• focusing on the connections between broad concepts in mathematics;
• connecting mathematics with familiar, relevant, everyday situations and providing rich and
meaningful learning contexts;
• fostering a positive attitude towards mathematics and an appreciation of mathematics through
multimodal means, including through the use of assistive technology and the performance of
authentic tasks;
• implementing research-informed instructional approaches (e.g., Concrete – Semi-Concrete –
Representational – Abstract) when introducing new concepts to promote conceptual
understanding, procedural accuracy, and fluency;
• creating a balance of explicit instruction, learning in flexible groupings, and independent
learning. Each form of learning should take place in a safe, supportive, and stimulating
environment while taking into consideration that some students may require more systematic

6Adapted from Ontario. Ministry of Education. (2005) Education for All: The Report of the Expert Panel
on Literacy and Numeracy Instruction for Students with Special Education Needs, Kindergarten to Grade
6. Toronto: Author.

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 and intensive support, more explicit and direct instruction before engaging in independent
learning;
• providing environmental, assessment, and instructional accommodations that are specified in
the student’s Individual Education Plan in order to maximize the student’s learning (e.g., making
available learning tools such as manipulatives, resources, adapted game pieces, oversized
tangrams, and calculators; ensuring access to assistive technology);
• building an inclusive community of learners and encouraging students with special education
needs to participate in various mathematics-oriented class projects and activities;
• building partnerships with administrators and other teachers, particularly special education
teachers, where available, to share expertise and knowledge of the curriculum expectations; co-
develop content in the Individual Education Plan that is specific to mathematics; and
systematically implement intervention strategies, as required, while making meaningful
connections between school and home to ensure that what the student is learning in the school
is relevant and can be practised and reinforced beyond the classroom.

Planning Mathematics Programs for English Language Learners

English language learners are working to achieve the curriculum expectations in mathematics while they
are acquiring English-language proficiency. An effective mathematics program that supports the success
of English language learners is purposefully planned with the following considerations in mind.

• Students’ various linguistic identities are viewed as a critical resource in mathematics instruction
and learning. This enables students to use their linguistic repertoire in a fluid and dynamic way,
mixing and meshing languages to communicate. This translingual practice7 is creative and
strategic, and allows students to communicate, interact, and connect with peers and teachers
for a variety of purposes, such as when developing conceptual knowledge and when seeking
clarity and understanding.
• Knowledge of English language learners’ mathematical strengths, interests, and identities,
including their social and cultural backgrounds is important. These “funds of knowledge”8 are
historically and culturally developed skills and assets that can be incorporated into mathematics
learning to create a richer and more highly scaffolded learning experience for all students,
promoting a positive, inclusive teaching and learning environment.
• In addition to assessing their level of English-language proficiency, an initial assessment of the
math knowledge and skills of newcomer English language learners is required in Ontario
schools.

7García, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student
bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
8Marshall, E., & Toohey, K. (2010). Representing family: Community funds of knowledge, bilingualism,
and multimodality. Harvard Educational Review, 80(2), 221-242.

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 • Differentiated instruction is essential in supporting English language learners, who face the dual
challenge of learning new conceptual knowledge while acquiring English-language proficiency.
Designing mathematics learning to have the right balance for English language learners is
achieved through program adaptations (i.e., accommodations and/or modifications) that ensure
the tasks are mathematically challenging, reflective of learning demands within the mathematics
curriculum, and comprehensible and accessible to English language learners. Using the full range
of a student’s language assets, including additional languages that a student speaks, reads, and
writes, as a resource in the mathematics classroom supports access to their prior learning,
reduces the language demands of the mathematics curriculum, and increases engagement;
• Working with students and their families and with available community supports allows for the
multilingual representation of mathematics concepts to create relevant and real-life learning
contexts and tasks.

In a supportive learning environment, scaffolding the learning of mathematics assessment and

instruction offers English language learners the opportunity to:

• access their other language(s) (e.g., by using technology to access mathematical terminology
and ways of solving problems in their first language), prior learning experiences, and
background knowledge in mathematics;
• learn new mathematical concepts in authentic, meaningful, and familiar contexts;
• engage in open and parallel tasks to allow for multiple entry points for learning;
• work in a variety of settings that support co-learning and multiple opportunities to practice (e.g.,
with partners or in small groups, as part of cooperative learning, in group conferences);
• access the language of instruction during oral, written, and multimodal instruction and
assessment, during questioning, and when encountering texts, learning tasks, and other
activities in the mathematics program;
• use oral language in different strategically planned activities, such as “think-pair-share”, “turn-
and-talk”, and “adding on”, to express their ideas and engage in mathematical discourse;
• develop both everyday and academic vocabulary, including specialized mathematics vocabulary
in context, through rephrasing and recasting by the teacher and through using student-
developed bilingual word banks or glossaries;
• practise using sentence frames adapted to their English-language proficiency levels to describe
concepts, provide reasoning, hypothesize, make judgements, and explain their thinking;
• use a variety of concrete and/or digital learning tools to demonstrate their learning in
mathematics in multiple ways (e.g., orally, visually, kinesthetically), through a range of
representations (e.g., portfolios, displays, discussions, models), and in multiple languages (e.g.,
multilingual word walls and anchor charts);
• have their learning assessed in terms of the processes they use in multiple languages, both
during the learning and through teachers’ observations and conversations.

Strategies used to differentiate instruction and assessment for English language learners in the
mathematics classroom also benefit many other learners in the classroom, since programming is
focused on leveraging all students’ strengths, meeting learners where they are in their learning, being

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aware of language demands in the mathematics program, and making learning visible. For example,
different cultural approaches to solve mathematical problems can help students make connections to
the Ontario curriculum and provide classmates with alternate ways of solving problems.

English language learners in English Literacy Development (ELD) programs in Grades 3 to 8 require
accelerated support to develop both their literacy skills and their numeracy skills. These students have
significant gaps in their education because of limited or interrupted prior schooling. They are learning
key mathematical concepts missed in prior years in order to build a solid foundation of mathematics. At
the same time, they are learning the academic language of mathematics in English while not having
acquired developmentally appropriate literacy skills in their first language. Programming for these
students is, therefore, highly differentiated and intensive. These students often require focused support
over a longer period than students in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The use of the
student’s oral competence in languages other than English is a non-negotiable scaffold. The strategies
described above, such as the use of visuals, the development of everyday and academic vocabulary, the
use of technology, and the use of oral competence, are essential in supporting student success in ELD
programs and in mathematics.

Supporting English language learners is a shared responsibility. Collaboration with administrators and
other teachers, particularly ESL/ELD teachers, where possible, contributes to creating equitable
outcomes for English language learners. Additional information on planning for and assessing English
language learners can be found in the “Planning for English Language Learners” subsection of
"Considerations for Program Planning”.

Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusive Education in Mathematics

Research indicates that there are groups of students who continue to experience systemic barriers to
learning mathematics. Systemic barriers can result in inequitable outcomes, such as chronic
underachievement and low confidence in mathematics. Achieving equitable outcomes in mathematics
for all students requires educators to pay attention to these barriers and to how they can overlap and
intersect, compounding their effect. Educators ensure that students have access to enrichment support,
as necessary, and they capitalize on the rich cultural knowledge, experience, and competencies that all
students bring to mathematics learning. When educators develop pedagogical practices that are
differentiated, culturally relevant, and responsive, and hold high and appropriate expectations of
students, they maximize the opportunity for all students to learn, and they create the conditions
necessary to ensure that students have a positive identity as a mathematics learner and can succeed in
mathematics and in all other subjects.

It is essential to develop practices that learn from and build on students’ cultural competencies and
linguistic resources, recognizing that students bring a wealth of mathematical knowledge, information,
experiences, and skills into the classroom, often in languages different from the language of instruction.
Educators create the conditions for authentic mathematics experiences by connecting mathematics
learning to students’ communities and lives; by respecting and harnessing students’ prior knowledge,
experiences, strengths, and interests; and by acknowledging and actively reducing and eliminating the

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systemic barriers that some students face. Mathematics learning that is student-centered allows
students to find relevance and meaning in what they are learning, to make real-life connections to the
curriculum.

Mathematics classrooms also provide an opportunity for cross-curricular learning and for teaching about
human rights. To create safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environments, educators must be
committed to equity and inclusion for all students and to upholding and promoting human rights. Every
student, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances, has the right to have
mathematics opportunities that allow them to succeed, personally and academically. In any
mathematics classroom, it is crucial to acknowledge students’ multiple social identities and how
students intersect with the world.9 Educators have an obligation to develop and nurture learning
environments that are reflective of and responsive to students’ strengths, needs, cultures, and diverse
lived experiences, and to set appropriate and high expectations for all.

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy in Mathematics

Rich, high-quality instruction and tasks are the foundation of culturally relevant and responsive
pedagogy (CRRP) in mathematics. In CRRP classrooms, teachers learn about their own identities and pay
attention to how those identities affect their teaching, their ideas, and their biases. Teachers also learn
about students’ identities, identifications, and/or affiliations and build on students’ ideas, questions, and
interests to support the development of an engaging mathematics classroom community.

In mathematics spaces using CRRP, students are engaged in shaping much of the learning so that
students have mathematical agency and feel invested in the outcomes. Students develop agency that
motivates them to take ownership of their learning of, and progress in, mathematics. Teaching about
diverse mathematical figures in history and from different global contexts enables students not only to
see themselves reflected in mathematical learning – a key factor in developing students’ sense of self –
but also to learn about others, and the multiple ways mathematics exists in all aspects of the world
around them.

Culturally reflective and responsive teachers know that there is more than one way to develop a
solution. Students are exposed to multiple ways of knowing and are encouraged to explore multiple
ways of finding answers. For example, an Indigenous pedagogical approach emphasizes holistic,
experiential learning; teacher modelling; and the use of collaborative and engaging activities. Teachers
differentiate instruction and assessment opportunities to encourage different ways of learning, to allow
all students to learn from and with each other, and to promote an awareness of and respect for the
diverse and multiple ways of knowing that make up our classrooms, schools, and the world. When
making connections between mathematics and real-life applications, teachers may work in partnership
with Indigenous communities to co-teach. Teachers may respectfully incorporate Indigenous culturally

9Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Towards Equity and Inclusivity in Ontario Schools, Capacity Building
Series, 35. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education, November 2013.

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specific examples as a way to meaningfully infuse Indigenous knowledge into the mathematics program.
In this way, culturally specific examples can be used without cultural appropriation.

More information on equity and inclusive education can be found in the "Human Rights, Equity, and
Inclusive Education" subsection of "Considerations for Program Planning".

Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning in

Mathematics
When planning an integrated mathematics program, educators should consider that, although the
mathematical content in the curriculum is outlined in discrete strands, students develop mathematical
thinking, such as proportional reasoning, algebraic reasoning, and spatial reasoning, that transcends the
expectations in the strands and even connects to the learning in many other subject areas. By
purposefully drawing connections across all areas of mathematics and to other subject areas, and by
applying learning to relevant real-life contexts, teachers extend and enhance student learning
experiences and deepen their knowledge and skills across disciplines and beyond the classroom.

For example, proportional reasoning, which is developed through the study of ratios and rates in the
Number strand, is also used when students are working towards meeting learning expectations in other
strands of the math curriculum, such as Spatial Sense, and in other disciplines, such as science,
geography, and the arts. Students then apply this learning in their everyday lives – for example, when
adjusting a recipe or preparing a mixture or solutions.

Similarly, algebraic reasoning is applied beyond the Algebra strand. For example, it is applied in
measurement when learning about formulas, such as area of a parallelogram = base × height. It is
applied in other disciplines, such as science, when students study simple machines and learn about the
formula work = force × distance. Algebraic reasoning is also used when making decisions in everyday life
– for example, when determining which service provider offers a better consumer contract or when
calculating how much time it will take for a frozen package to thaw.

Spatial thinking has a fundamental role throughout the Ontario curriculum, from Kindergarten to Grade
12, including in mathematics, the arts, health and physical education, and science. For example, a
student demonstrates spatial reasoning when mentally rotating and matching shapes in mathematics,
planning their move to the basketball hoop, and using diagonal and converging lines to create
perspective drawing in visual art. In everyday life, there are many applications of spatial reasoning, such
as when creating a garden layout or when using a map to navigate the most efficient way of getting
from point A to point B.

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:

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 • make connections between mathematics and other subject areas, and among the strands of the
mathematics curriculum;
• improve their ability to provide multiple responses to a problem;
• debate and test whether responses 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 knowledge of other subject
matter to enhance their learning of and engagement in mathematics. More information about
integrating learning across the curriculum 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. Research shows that “mathematics texts contain more concepts
per sentence and paragraph than any other type of text”.10 Reading a mathematics text requires specific
literacy strategies, unique to mathematics. Learning in “some areas of math in particular, such as word
problems and number combinations may be mediated by language and reading due to the nature of the
task.”11 As a result, there is a strong correlation between reading and math achievement.

The learning of mathematics requires students to navigate discipline-specific texts that “must be written
and read in appropriate ways”; therefore, it is important that math instruction addresses both
“mathematical texts and literacies.”12 Many of the activities and tasks students undertake in
mathematics involve the use of written, oral, visual, and multimodal communication skills as they
encounter mathematical texts such as “equations, graphs, diagrams, proofs, justifications, displays of
manipulatives (e.g., base ten blocks), calculator readouts, verbal mathematical discussions, and written

10Kenney, Joan M. et al. (2007). Literacy strategies for improving mathematics instruction. Heatherton,
Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education. Page 11.
11 Rutherford-Becker, Kristy J. & Vanderwood, Michael L. (2009). Evaluation of the relationship between
literacy and mathematics skills as assessed by curriculum-based measures. California School
Psychologist, Vol.14, page 25.
12Siebert, D., & Hendrickson, S. (2010). (Re)imagining literacies for mathematics classrooms. In R. J.
Draper, P. Broomhead, A. P. Jensen, J. D. Nokes, & D. Siebert (Eds.), (Re)imagining content-area literacy
Instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Page 43.

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descriptions of problems.” 13The language of mathematics includes special terminology. To support all
students in developing an understanding of mathematical texts, teachers need to explicitly teach
mathematical vocabulary, focusing on the many meanings and applications of the terms students may
encounter. In all mathematics programs, students are required to use appropriate and correct
terminology and are encouraged to use language with care and precision in order to communicate
effectively.

More information about the importance of literacy across the curriculum can be found in the “Literacy”
and “Mathematical Literacy” subsections of “Cross-curricular and Integrated Learning”.

Transferable Skills in Mathematics

The Ontario curriculum emphasizes a set of skills that are critical to all students’ ability to thrive in
school, in the world beyond school, and in the future. These are known as transferable skills. Educators
facilitate students’ development of transferable skills across the curriculum, from Kindergarten to Grade
12. They are as follows:

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. In mathematics, students and educators learn and apply
strategies to understand and solve problems flexibly, accurately, and efficiently. They learn to
understand and visualize a situation and use the tools and language of mathematics to reason,
make connections to real-life situations, communicate, and justify solutions.
• Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship. In mathematics, students and educators solve
problems with curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. They pose questions, make
and test conjectures, and consider problems from different perspectives to generate new
learning and apply it to novel situations.
• Self-Directed Learning. By reflecting on their own thinking and emotions, students, with the
support of educators, can develop perseverance, resourcefulness, resilience, and a sense of self.
In mathematics, they initiate new learning, monitor their thinking and their emotions when
solving problems and apply strategies to overcome challenges. They see mathematics as useful,
interesting, and doable and confidently look for ways to apply their learning.
• Collaboration. In mathematics, students and educators engage with others productively,
respectfully, and critically in order to better understand ideas and problems, generate solutions,
and refine their thinking.
• Communication. In mathematics, students and educators use the tools and language of
mathematics to describe their thinking and to understand the world. They use mathematical
vocabulary, symbols, conventions, and representations to make meaning, express a point of
view, and make convincing and compelling arguments in a variety of ways, including

13Siebert, D., & Hendrickson, S. (2010). (Re)imagining literacies for mathematics classrooms. In R. J.
Draper, P. Broomhead, A. P. Jensen, J. D. Nokes, & D. Siebert (Eds.), (Re)imagining content-area literacy
instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Page 41.

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 multimodally, for example, using combinations of oral, visual, textual, and gestural
communication.
• Global Citizenship and Sustainability. In mathematics, students and educators recognize and
appreciate multiple ways of knowing, doing, and learning, and value different perspectives. They
see how mathematics is used in all walks of life and how engaged citizens can use it as a tool to
raise awareness and generate solutions for real-life issues.
• Digital Literacy. In mathematics, students and educators learn to be discerning users of
technology. They select when and how to use appropriate tools to understand and model real-
life situations, predict outcomes, and solve problems, and they assess and evaluate the
reasonableness of their results.

More information on instructional approaches can be found in the "Transferable Skills" section of
"Program Planning".

Assessment and Evaluation of Student Achievement

Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, First Edition, Covering
Grades 1 to 12, 2010 sets out the Ministry of Education’s assessment, evaluation, and reporting policy.
The policy aims to maintain high standards, improve student learning, and benefit all students, parents,
and teachers in elementary and secondary schools across the province. Successful implementation of
this policy depends on the professional judgement14 of teachers at all levels as well as their high
expectations of all students, and on their ability to work together and to build trust and confidence
among parents and students.

Major aspects of assessment, evaluation, and reporting policy are summarized in the main “Assessment
and Evaluation” section. The key tool for assessment and evaluation in mathematics – the achievement
chart – is provided below.

The Achievement Chart for Mathematics

The achievement chart identifies four categories of knowledge and skills and four levels of achievement
in mathematics. (For important background, see “Content Standards and Performance Standards”in the
main Assessment and Evaluation section.)

Knowledge and Understanding – Subject-specific content acquired in each grade (knowledge), and
the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)

14“Professional judgement”, as defined in Growing Success (p. 152), is “judgement that is informed by
professional knowledge of curriculum expectations, context, evidence of learning, methods of
instruction and assessment, and the criteria and standards that indicate success in student learning. In
professional practice, judgement involves a purposeful and systematic thinking process that evolves in
terms of accuracy and insight with ongoing reflection and self-correction”.

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 Categories Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
The student:
Knowledge of content (e.g., demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates
math facts, computational limited some considerable thorough
strategies, terminology, knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of
mathematical models, money content content content content
values)
Understanding of content (e.g., demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates
concepts, theories, procedures, limited some considerable thorough
principles, mathematical understanding understanding understanding understanding
processes) of content of content of content of content
Thinking – The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes
Categories Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
The student:
Use of planning skills (e.g., uses planning uses planning uses planning uses planning
interpreting and expressing skills with skills with skills with skills with a
problems, identifying limited some considerable high degree of
unknown(s), making conjectures effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness
and estimates, identifying steps
to take, considering the use of
models and representations,
selecting strategies and tools)
Use of processing skills* (e.g., uses uses uses uses
carrying out plans: collecting processing processing processing processing
data, questioning, testing, skills with skills with skills with skills with a
revising, modelling, solving, limited some considerable high degree of
inferring, forming conclusions; effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness
looking back at solutions:
reflecting, evaluating
reasonableness, reasoning,
justifying, proving)
Use of critical/creative thinking uses critical/ uses critical/ uses critical/ uses critical/
processes* (e.g., making and creative creative creative creative
testing conjectures, posing and thinking thinking thinking thinking
solving problems, critiquing processes processes processes processes
solutions, providing with limited with some with with a high
mathematical reasoning) effectiveness effectiveness considerable degree of
effectiveness effectiveness
Communication – The conveying of meaning through various forms
Categories Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
The student:

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 Expression and organization of expresses and expresses and expresses and expresses and
ideas and information (e.g., clear organizes organizes organizes organizes
expression, logical organization) ideas and ideas ideas and ideas and
in oral, visual, and/or written information and information information
forms (e.g., pictorial, graphic, with limited information with with a high
numeric, algebraic forms; effectiveness with some considerable degree of
gestures and other non-verbal effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness
forms; models)
Communication for different communicates communicates communicates communicates
audiences (e.g., peers, adults) for different for different for different for different
and purposes (e.g., to generate audiences and audiences audiences and audiences and
ideas, present data, justify a purposes with and purposes purposes with purposes with
solution) in oral, visual, and/or limited with some considerable a high degree
written forms effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness of
effectiveness
Use of conventions, vocabulary, uses uses uses uses
and terminology of the discipline conventions, conventions, conventions, conventions,
in oral, visual, and/or written vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary,
forms (e.g., terms, symbols) and and and and
terminology terminology terminology terminology
with with with with a high
limited some considerable degree of
effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness
Application – The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various
contexts
Categories Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
The student:
applies applies applies applies
knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge
Application of knowledge and and skills in and skills in and skills in and skills in
skills (e.g., representations and familiar familiar familiar familiar
computational strategies) in contexts with contexts with contexts with contexts with
familiar contexts limited some considerable a high degree
effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness of
effectiveness
Transfer of knowledge and skills transfers transfers transfers transfers
(e.g., representations and knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge
computational strategies) to new and skills to and skills to and skills to and
contexts new contexts new contexts new contexts skills to new
with limited with with contexts with
effectiveness some considerable a high degree
effectiveness effectiveness of
effectiveness

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 Making connections within and makes makes makes makes
between various contexts (e.g., connections connections connections connections
connections to everyday and real- within and within and within and within and
life situations; connections between between between between
involving an understanding of the various various various various
relationships between different contexts with contexts with contexts with contexts with
measurements; connections limited some considerable a high degree
among concepts, effectiveness effectiveness effectiveness of
representations, and forms within effectiveness
mathematics; connections
involving use of prior knowledge
and experience; connections
among mathematics and other
disciplines, including other STEM
[science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics] subjects)

* Note:
The processing skills and critical/creative thinking processes in the Thinking category include some but
not all aspects of the mathematical processes laid out in Strand A: Social-Emotional Learning and
Mathematical Processes. Some aspects of the mathematical processes relate to the other categories of
the achievement chart.

Criteria and Descriptors for Mathematics

To guide teachers in their assessment and evaluation of student learning, the achievement chart
provides “criteria” and “descriptors” within each of the four categories of knowledge and skills.

A set of criteria is identified for each category in the achievement chart. The criteria are subsets of the
knowledge and skills that define the category. The criteria identify the aspects of student performance
that are assessed and/or evaluated, and they serve as a guide to what teachers look for. In the
mathematics curriculum, the criteria for each category are as follows:

Knowledge and Understanding

• knowledge of content (e.g., math facts, computational strategies, terminology, mathematical

models, money values)
• understanding of content (e.g., concepts, theories, procedures, principles, mathematical
processes)

Thinking

• use of planning skills (e.g., interpreting and expressing problems, identifying unknown(s),
making conjectures and estimates, identifying steps to take, considering the use of models and
representations, selecting strategies and tools)

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 • use of processing skills (e.g., carrying out plans: collecting data, questioning, testing, revising,
modelling, solving, inferring, forming conclusions; looking back at solutions: reflecting,
evaluating reasonableness, reasoning, justifying, proving)
• use of critical/creative thinking processes (e.g., making and testing conjectures, posing and
solving problems, critiquing solutions, providing mathematical reasoning)

Communication

• expression and organization of ideas and information (e.g., clear expression, logical
organization) in oral, visual, and/or written forms (e.g., pictorial, graphic, numeric, algebraic
forms; gestures and other non-verbal forms; models)
• communication for different audiences (e.g., peers, adults) and purposes (e.g., to generate
ideas, present data, justify a solution) in oral, visual, and/or written forms
• use of conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, visual, and/or written
forms (e.g., terms, symbols)

Application

• application of knowledge and skills (e.g., representations and computational strategies) in

familiar contexts
• transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., representations and computational strategies) to new
contexts
• making connections within and between various contexts (e.g., connections to everyday and
real-life situations; connections involving an understanding of the relationships between
different measurements; connections among concepts, representations, and forms within
mathematics; connections involving use of prior knowledge and experience; connections among
mathematics and other disciplines, including other STEM [science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics] subjects)

“Descriptors” indicate the characteristics of the student’s performance, with respect to a particular
criterion, on which assessment or evaluation is focused. Effectiveness is the descriptor used for each of
the criteria in the Thinking, Communication, and Application categories. What constitutes effectiveness
in any given performance task will vary with the particular criterion being considered. Assessment of
effectiveness may therefore focus on a quality such as appropriateness, clarity, accuracy, precision,
logic, relevance, significance, fluency, flexibility, depth, or breadth, as appropriate for the particular
criterion.

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Mathematics, Grade 4
Expectations by strand
Note

Strand A
Learning related to Strand A: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills in Mathematics and the
Mathematical Processes occurs in the context of learning related to the other strands. As educators
develop lessons and plan learning activities, they should consider:
• where there are opportunities to teach and reinforce social-emotional learning skills in
order to help every student develop confidence, cope with challenges, think critically, and
develop a positive identity as a math learner
• how the mathematical processes can be highlighted so that students are actively engaged in
applying these processes throughout the program
• how instruction and the learning environment are designed to be culturally responsive and
relevant
Examples
The examples laid out in the curriculum are intended to guide teachers in thinking about how the
learning for each expectation might be positioned and demonstrated. In planning students’ learning
experiences, it is important for teachers to ensure that learning experiences are culturally reflective
of students’ lived realities in the community and in the world around them. It is also important to
acknowledge and affirm the multiple ways of knowing and doing that students may bring to the
classroom.
Sample Tasks
The sample tasks laid out in the curriculum are intended to be illustrations only, and should be
replaced or supplemented with tasks and learning contexts that are affirming of, relevant to, and
reflective of students’ lives and backgrounds, and that provide students with the opportunity to
learn about diverse cultures and communities in a respectful and informed way. Such opportunities
may include the examination of social and economic justice concerns (e.g., racism, classism,
sexism), health issues, environmental aspects, and so on, as appropriate.

A. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills in

Mathematics and the Mathematical Processes
Note: Beginning in the 2021–22 school year, schools are asked not to assess, evaluate or report on
the overall expectations related to social-emotional learning skills in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades
1–8, Mathematics (2020) and The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8, Health and Physical Education
(2019). It is the ministry’s expectation that instruction of the social-emotional learning skills will
continue while educators engage in ongoing professional learning.

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This strand focuses on students’ development and application of social-emotional
learning skills to support their learning of math concepts and skills, foster their
overall well-being and ability to learn, and help them build resilience and thrive as
math learners. As they develop SEL skills, students demonstrate a greater ability to
understand and apply the mathematical processes, which are critical to
supporting learning in mathematics. In all grades of the mathematics program,
the learning related to this strand takes place in the context of learning related to
all other strands, and it should be assessed and evaluated within these contexts.

Overall expectations
Throughout this grade, in order to promote a positive identity as a math learner, to foster well-being
and the ability to learn, build resilience, and thrive, students will:

A1. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills and the Mathematical

Processes
apply, to the best of their ability, a variety of social-emotional learning skills to support their use of the
mathematical processes and their learning in connection with the expectations in the other five strands
of the mathematics curriculum

To the best of their … as they apply the mathematical

ability, students processes: … so they can:
will learn to:
1. identify and • problem solving: develop, select, 1. express and manage their
manage emotions and apply problem-solving feelings, and show
strategies understanding of the feelings of
• reasoning and proving: develop and others, as they engage positively
apply reasoning skills (e.g., in mathematics activities
2. recognize classification, recognition of 2. work through challenging
sources of stress relationships, use of counter- math problems, understanding
and cope with examples) to justify thinking, make that their resourcefulness in
challenges and investigate conjectures, and using various strategies to
construct and defend arguments respond to stress is helping
• reflecting: demonstrate that as they them build personal resilience
3. maintain positive solve problems, they are pausing, 3. recognize that testing out
motivation and looking back, and monitoring their different approaches to
perseverance thinking to help clarify their problems and learning from
understanding (e.g., by comparing mistakes is an important part of
and adjusting strategies used, by the learning process, and is
explaining why they think their aided by a sense of optimism
and hope

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 4. build results are reasonable, by recording 4. work collaboratively on math
relationships and their thinking in a math journal) problems – expressing their
communicate • connecting: make connections thinking, listening to the
effectively among mathematical concepts, thinking of others, and
procedures, and representations, practising inclusivity – and in
and relate mathematical ideas to that way foster healthy
other contexts (e.g., other relationships
5. develop self- curriculum areas, daily life, sports) 5. see themselves as capable
awareness and • communicating: express and math learners, and strengthen
sense of identity understand mathematical thinking, their sense of ownership of their
and engage in mathematical learning, as part of their
arguments using everyday language, emerging sense of identity and
language resources as necessary, belonging
6. think critically appropriate mathematical 6. make connections between
and creatively terminology, a variety of math and everyday contexts to
representations, and mathematical help them make informed
conventions judgements and decisions
• representing: select from and
create a variety of representations
of mathematical ideas (e.g.,
representations involving physical
models, pictures, numbers,
variables, graphs), and apply them
to solve problems
• selecting tools and strategies:
select and use a variety of concrete,
visual, and electronic learning tools
and appropriate strategies to
investigate mathematical ideas and
to solve problems

Examples

The examples illustrate ways to support students in developing social-emotional learning skills
while engaging with the mathematical processes (shown in each example in italics) to deepen
their learning of mathematical knowledge, concepts, and skills. Culturally responsive and
relevant pedagogy is key.15 Different social-emotional learning skills may be applied with

15

• In order for SEL to be impactful, supportive, anti-racist, and anti-discriminatory, the teaching and
learning approach must take into account and address the lived realities, racial and other disparities,
and educator biases that affect students’ experiences in Ontario schools.
• Approaches to SEL must be mediated through respectful conversations about students’ lived realities,
inequity, bias, discrimination, and harassment.

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learning from a variety of expectations in connection with a range of mathematical processes to
achieve the learning goals. It is important to note that the student responses are provided only
to indicate the content and scope of the intended learning. They are not written in language
that represents the typical parlance or vocabulary of students.

Identification and Management of Emotions

Grade 4

As students analyse different sets of data, they may make connections to the content by
considering what emotions the various representations evoke. In their analysis, they may
consider how the data has been presented to inspire hope or shame or to prompt reflection
and questioning. They may reflect on how different design elements (e.g., fonts, colours,
images) or different types of graphs are used to evoke different feelings. To promote deeper
levels of connection to the content, educators can encourage students to explore data sets that
are about topics relevant to their lives, including data on attendance at local events in
celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day or the Lunar New Year, or data on attendance
at school sporting events.

Grade 5

As students learn about the concept of credit and debt and describe their effects on financial
decisions, they may reflect on the emotions that different circumstances invoke in them.
Money can be an emotional topic because it is often connected to social and financial
inequalities that are beyond students’ control. Individual circumstances may emerge that may
evoke strong emotions, such as shame, jealousy, or feelings of exclusion. If students can learn
ways to name and understand their feelings about money, they may be able to better articulate
injustice as they observe or experience it and make more informed financial decisions that are
under their control. It is critical for educators to remember that the concepts of credit and debt
may need a contextual and cultural focus that is respectful and that not all transactions involve

• Effective approaches to SEL provide students with tools to navigate and challenge oppressive, racist,
and discriminatory spaces, thus building their skills and having a positive impact on their academic
achievement and well-being.
• Human rights principles and the Education Act recognize the importance of creating a climate of
understanding of and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of each person, so that each person can
contribute fully to the development and well-being of their community. Indeed, human rights law
guarantees a person’s right to equal treatment in education. It requires educators and school leaders
to actively prevent discrimination and harassment and respond appropriately when they do occur, to
create an inclusive environment, to remove barriers that limit the ability of students, and to provide
accommodations where necessary.

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money, since the cultures of a family, community, and country may have varying viewpoints on
these practices.

Grade 6

As students use appropriate metric units to solve problems that involve conversion, they may
identify and communicate emotions they feel. For example: “I was surprised that the number in
metres was so small after I converted the measurement from millimetres to centimetres, and
then to metres. It’s amazing to see how much the number changes – millimetres are a lot
smaller than metres.” Educators should also be prepared to address heightened emotions due
to some students’ direct experiences with systemic inequalities that may arise when working
with related math problems (e.g., when practising conversions using food as an example, be
aware of the impact on and sensitivity of students who may be experiencing food insecurity).

Stress Management and Coping

Grade 4

As students create an infographic of a data set, they may problem solve and apply a range of
strategies to avoid getting “stuck” or to get themselves “unstuck”. They can pause to regroup
before continuing or they can adjust their learning environment. For example: “I love trying to
figure out really challenging problems, but if I get stuck and feel myself getting frustrated, it
helps if I put away the problem, go outside for a break, and then come back to it later. If I need
to get it done right away, I can ask my teacher for a hint or for help in selecting a graph, or I can
review anchor charts in the classroom that might help jog my thinking. One of my friends likes
to switch to a different problem or work on the parts of the problem they know how to
complete. Another friend likes to work in a very quiet space, whole another one finds it helpful
to listen to music while they work.” Educators can also offer students focused and responsive
stress management techniques that promote holistic ways of looking at problems. They can ask
students to think about the problem and how it affects them physically, emotionally,
intellectually, and spiritually and to make connections between these different states of being.
Educators can also encourage students to support and affirm the work of their peers using
symbols and languages that are specific to them.

Grade 5

As students perform different types of transformations, moving objects in particular ways and
seeing how they look from different angles, they may reflect on the benefit of looking at a
situation in their own lives in a different way, to help make it easier to cope with. For example:
“I didn’t think it was possible, but now that I’ve taken a step back and looked at my situation
from another angle, I see there is a way of making it work and I am feeling less stressed about

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this.” In another situation, students might also make observations like this: “This situation is a
result of unfair rules or practices that limit my ability to succeed. If we can fix some of the rules,
then maybe more people will have a chance to be successful.” Educators can also encourage
students to think about situations from the perspective of a family member, a community
member, or a friend. What would they say? What advice would they give?

Grade 6

As students do probability experiments that they may find challenging, they can find it helpful
to represent the possible outcomes in concrete or pictorial ways. For example: “I find it stressful
when things are unclear. When I can write my thinking down, I can start to figure out what I
think I don’t know and then work towards making my thinking clearer. This makes me feel more
confident about solving the problem.” It is also important for students to know that symbolic
and graphic representations that are culturally affirming are welcome.

Positive Motivation and Perseverance

Grade 4

As students use the row-and-column structure of an array to determine the area of a rectangle,
they may make connections to other learning, such as laying out paper squares to cover a shape
to determine whether the area of the shape can be found by multiplying the side lengths. For
example: “I kept laying out paper squares to cover the area, trying to keep them straight and
organized in rows and columns. As I was doing this, I realized that I could use multiplication
instead of laying out every square individually. I built a row, saw how many rows could fit, and
used this information to figure out how many squares it would take. That made it way quicker
and easier for me to figure out the area. I wrote my strategy as a formula and shared it with the
class.”

Grade 5

As students learn to analyse a variety of data sets by asking questions, identifying any biases,
making convincing arguments, challenging preconceived notions, and drawing conclusions, they
can reason and prove that by continuing to ask questions, dig deeper, and probe further, they
will get better information and be empowered to make more informed decisions. Working with
meaningful data can contribute to motivation. For example, educators can offer alternative
perspectives to students using carefully cultivated resources and creating opportunities to
amplify multiple voices (e.g., analysing data on income levels and health care services in urban
centres and in First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities). Students should be encouraged
to think critically about the results, why they are important, and how they might respond.

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Grade 6

As students identify some of the factors that may help or interfere with reaching financial goals,
they may reflect on and explore the concept of needs and wants, considering the barriers that
they and others may experience as well as potential ways in which positive motivation and
perseverance can be used to address these barriers. Because of social and financial inequalities
that are beyond students’ control, sensitivity is needed to recognize the range of experiences
and access to money among students in the class. Educators should use hypothetical situations
and sample budgets to raise awareness in all students of systemic issues that may present large
barriers to reaching financial goals (e.g., food security, affordable housing).

Healthy Relationship Skills

Grade 4

As students identify key factors and personal realities and values to consider when making basic
decisions related to earning, spending, saving, investing, and donating, they may reflect on their
own lives and their relationships with others in the community and realize that everything is
interconnected. They may consider how the ability to contribute more or less in one area
affects other areas and that, similarly, in relationships, one action can affect other actions. For
example: “If I save more, I have more money to invest, to donate, or use to help others. One
action has an effect on another. In relationships people's actions always have effects, positive
or negative, on those around them.” Because of social and financial inequalities that may be
beyond students’ control, it is important for educators to recognize and be sensitive to the
range of experiences and financial resources of students and their families. Educators should be
prepared to have culturally inclusive conversations and resources available to support students,
because financial topics could trigger issues related to food security, housing, and safety.

Grade 5

As students play a math game involving fractions, decimals, and whole numbers, they can
communicate positively and show patience with one another so that any players who may take
longer than the others to figure out the answers feel respected. They can also build
understanding of differences in how games can be approached and played. Educators can
include basic words from different languages spoken by students to encourage respectful
communicative practices among students when they are working together.

Grade 6

As students examine elements in shrinking and growing patterns and in patterns with missing
elements, they may make connections to their relationships with others and consider the

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importance of consistent and regular practices of communication. For example: “When my
friend and I message back and forth, if I miss a message, then my friend might make
assumptions and our communication could go off track.”

Self-Awareness and Sense of Identity

Grade 4

As students learn to analyse and classify patterns as repeating, growing, or other, they can
make connections to their own patterns of behaviour – for example, to their pattern of being
physically active regularly for health and personal fitness. Students may track the distance they
travel (e.g., run, wheel, or bike) each day or the length of time they can hold a strong plank
position. As they track these measurements over the course of two weeks, they can reflect on
whether their numbers show repeating, growing, or other types of patterns and make
connections to what this may mean in terms of their health and personal fitness. For example,
being able to run, wheel, or bike for longer or hold a strong plank position for longer could
contribute to students’ goals of improving their personal health and fitness. Educators can
adopt a holistic approach to real-life scenarios and have students consider the effects of being
regularly physically active at a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual (meaning
consciousness) level.

Grade 5

As students share mental math strategies that can be used to estimate sums and differences of
decimal numbers, they may reflect and acknowledge that different people use different mental
math strategies and that some ways of thinking are unique to each individual, and that’s okay.
They may consider which mental math strategies might work particularly well in a particular
situation for them when doing calculations. Educators can respectfully challenge students to
think about the validity of the strategies from other perspectives. Educators can also use this
opportunity to explore a range of strategies that different students may be familiar with and
connect them to a range of cultural experiences. For example, the Oksapmin of Papua New
Guinea have a counting system that uses body parts to express numbers from 1 to 27. Students
may also be familiar with the “stick” method of doing multiplication, which is a method taught
in some parts of the world.

Grade 6

As students track different aspects of their physical and mental health and use a variety of
graphs and data visualization tools to show what they have learned, they may reflect on this
information in a holistic way. For example: “I am using a table to track my screen time in class
and a step-counter app to track the number of steps I take at school each day. I am displaying

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all of this data as a broken-line graph to show the change over time. I am also keeping track of
how screen time and physical activity make me feel. Looking at all of this information together,
I can see a connection between my screen time, my physical activity, and my feelings.” For
some students, reflection may include drawing on cultural connections and specific teachings
from their community (e.g., family members, community leaders, community cultural workers,
Elders, Métis Senators, knowledge keepers, and knowledge holders).

Critical and Creative Thinking

Grade 4

As students read, represent, compare, and order decimal numbers in a variety of contexts, they
may select different tools and strategies to approach each problem, such as drawing images or
using models that show the numbers, estimating the final result, and comparing numbers to
look for patterns. For example: “When I use decimal strips, it helps me figure out what order
the numbers go in.” It is also important for educators to promote risk-taking in a safe
environment. When students are supported as they learn that deeper thinking results from
trying and failing, they are more likely to try again.

Grade 5

As students work in groups to create and execute code for various mathematical situations,
they can use reasoning and proving to recognize that there are different ways of solving the
same problem. For example: “Looking at how we did it and how other groups did it, I can see
that there are many ways to get to the same result. I can then reflect back on my own work and
think about my next steps.”

Grade 6

As students solve multi-step problems that involve whole numbers, decimal numbers, and
fractions, they may use a variety of problem-solving strategies to deepen their understanding.
They may first determine what information they already know and then identify what is
unknown. They may capture their thinking by making lists and diagrams, breaking down a
problem into smaller parts, and checking their calculations. Educators should be prepared to
contextualize multi-step problems so that students can make connections to prior learning.

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B. Number
Overall expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

B1. Number Sense

demonstrate an understanding of numbers and make connections to the way numbers are used in
everyday life

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Whole Numbers
B1.1 read, represent, compose, and decompose whole numbers up to and including 10 000, using
appropriate tools and strategies, and describe various ways they are used in everyday life
B1.2 compare and order whole numbers up to and including 10 000, in various contexts
B1.3 round whole numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, or thousand, in various contexts

Fractions and Decimals

B1.4 represent fractions from halves to tenths using drawings, tools, and standard fractional notation,
and explain the meanings of the denominator and the numerator
B1.5 use drawings and models to represent, compare, and order fractions representing the individual
portions that result from two different fair-share scenarios involving any combination of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8,
and 10 sharers
B1.6 count to 10 by halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, and tenths, with and without the use of
tools
B1.7 read, represent, compare, and order decimal tenths, in various contexts
B1.8 round decimal numbers to the nearest whole number, in various contexts
B1.9 describe relationships and show equivalences among fractions and decimal tenths, in various
contexts

B2. Operations
use knowledge of numbers and operations to solve mathematical problems encountered in everyday life

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

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Properties and Relationships
B2.1 use the properties of operations, and the relationships between addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division, to solve problems involving whole numbers, including those requiring more
than one operation, and check calculations

Math Facts
B2.2 recall and demonstrate multiplication facts for 1 × 1 to 10 × 10, and related division facts

Mental Math
B2.3 use mental math strategies to multiply whole numbers by 10, 100, and 1000, divide whole numbers
by 10, and add and subtract decimal tenths, and explain the strategies used

Addition and Subtraction

B2.4 represent and solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of whole numbers that add up
to no more than 10 000 and of decimal tenths, using appropriate tools and strategies, including
algorithms

Multiplication and Division

B2.5 represent and solve problems involving the multiplication of two- or three-digit whole numbers by
one-digit whole numbers and by 10, 100, and 1000, using appropriate tools, including arrays
B2.6 represent and solve problems involving the division of two- or three-digit whole numbers by one-
digit whole numbers, expressing any remainder as a fraction when appropriate, using appropriate tools,
including arrays
B2.7 represent the relationship between the repeated addition of a unit fraction and the multiplication
of that unit fraction by a whole number, using tools, drawings, and standard fractional notation
B2.8 show simple multiplicative relationships involving whole-number rates, using various tools and
drawings

C. Algebra
Overall expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

C1. Patterns and Relationships

identify, describe, extend, create, and make predictions about a variety of patterns, including those
found in real-life contexts

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Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Patterns
C1.1 identify and describe repeating and growing patterns, including patterns found in real-life contexts
C1.2 create and translate repeating and growing patterns using various representations, including tables
of values and graphs
C1.3 determine pattern rules and use them to extend patterns, make and justify predictions, and
identify missing elements in repeating and growing patterns
C1.4 create and describe patterns to illustrate relationships among whole numbers and decimal tenths

C2. Equations and Inequalities

demonstrate an understanding of variables, expressions, equalities, and inequalities, and apply this
understanding in various contexts

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Variables
C2.1 identify and use symbols as variables in expressions and equations

Equalities and Inequalities

C2.2 solve equations that involve whole numbers up to 50 in various contexts, and verify solutions
C2.3 solve inequalities that involve addition and subtraction of whole numbers up to 20, and verify and
graph the solutions

C3. Coding
solve problems and create computational representations of mathematical situations using coding
concepts and skills

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Coding Skills
C3.1 solve problems and create computational representations of mathematical situations by writing
and executing code, including code that involves sequential, concurrent, repeating, and nested events

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C3.2 read and alter existing code, including code that involves sequential, concurrent, repeating, and
nested events, and describe how changes to the code affect the outcomes

C4. Mathematical Modelling

apply the process of mathematical modelling to represent, analyse, make predictions, and provide
insight into real-life situations

This overall expectation has no specific expectations. Mathematical modelling is an iterative and
interconnected process that is applied to various contexts, allowing students to bring in learning from
other strands. Students’ demonstration of the process of mathematical modelling, as they apply concepts
and skills learned in other strands, is assessed and evaluated.

Read more about the mathematical modelling process.

Teacher supports

Examples

• possible real-life situations:

• designing the use of a schoolyard for different types of outdoor activities
• designing a quilt of a specific dimension

Key concepts

• The process of mathematical modelling requires: understanding the problem; analysing

the situation; creating a mathematical model; and analysing and assessing the model.

Note

• A mathematical modelling task is different from a real-life application due to the cyclic
nature of modelling, which involves examining a problem from outside mathematics,
modelling it, and then checking the model back against the real-life situation and
adjusting as necessary.
• The process of mathematical modelling should not be confused with using a "model" to
represent or solve a problem that does not require the whole process.
• Mathematical modelling tasks can be utilized in many ways and can support students
with making connections among many mathematical concepts across the math strands
and across other curricula.

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Sample tasks

Provide students with a real-life situation, such as sectioning off the schoolyard for different
types of outdoor activities.

Have students brainstorm questions that need to be answered, such as: What activities are to
be offered? What part of the schoolyard is needed for each activity? For example, this activity
needs a wall or this acticity needs a basketball hoop. It is important to honour student voice
and student questions, as well as to encourage students to listen and consider the questions of
their peers.

Analyse the situation with students by supporting them in making assumptions, such as that all
the sections of the schoolyard will be rectangular. Also have them consider what can vary, such
as the area of each section, and the number of activities being offered.

Have students determine and gather the information needed to solve the problem. They may
want to conduct a school survey to determine the types of activities to offer. They might want
to determine how many people will participate in the different activities. They may ask to
measure the dimensions of the schoolyard.

Have students identify and use representations, tools, technologies, or strategies to create a
model of the schoolyard, identifying the dimensions of the rectangular sections and their areas.

Pose questions to students to support them in analysing their model. A possible question is “Do
you have enough area for each section to run the activity planned for that section?” If the
answer is no, have them adjust their models and reassess.

D. Data
Overall expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

D1. Data Literacy

manage, analyse, and use data to make convincing arguments and informed decisions, in various
contexts drawn from real life

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Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Data Collection and Organization

D1.1 describe the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, and describe situations where
each would be used
D1.2 collect data from different primary and secondary sources to answer questions of interest that
involve comparing two or more sets of data, and organize the data in frequency tables and stem-and-
leaf plots

Data Visualization
D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including multiple-bar graphs, the type of graph best suited
to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels,
and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs
D1.4 create an infographic about a data set, representing the data in appropriate ways, including in
frequency tables, stem-and-leaf plots, and multiple-bar graphs, and incorporating any other relevant
information that helps to tell a story about the data

Data Analysis
D1.5 determine the mean and the median and identify the mode(s), if any, for various data sets
involving whole numbers, and explain what each of these measures indicates about the data
D1.6 analyse different sets of data presented in various ways, including in stem-and-leaf plots and
multiple-bar graphs, by asking and answering questions about the data and drawing conclusions, then
make convincing arguments and informed decisions

D2. Probability
describe the likelihood that events will happen, and use that information to make predictions

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Probability
D2.1 use mathematical language, including the terms “impossible”, “unlikely”, “equally likely”, “likely”,
and “certain”, to describe the likelihood of events happening, represent this likelihood on a probability
line, and use it to make predictions and informed decisions
D2.2 make and test predictions about the likelihood that the mean, median, and mode(s) of a data set
will be the same for data collected from different populations

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E. Spatial Sense
Overall expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

E1. Geometric and Spatial Reasoning

describe and represent shape, location, and movement by applying geometric properties and spatial
relationships in order to navigate the world around them

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Geometric Reasoning
E1.1 identify geometric properties of rectangles, including the number of right angles, parallel and
perpendicular sides, and lines of symmetry

Location and Movement

E1.2 plot and read coordinates in the first quadrant of a Cartesian plane, and describe the translations
that move a point from one coordinate to another
E1.3 describe and perform translations and reflections on a grid, and predict the results of these
transformations

E2. Measurement
compare, estimate, and determine measurements in various contexts

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

The Metric System

E2.1 explain the relationships between grams and kilograms as metric units of mass, and between litres
and millilitres as metric units of capacity, and use benchmarks for these units to estimate mass and
capacity
E2.2 use metric prefixes to describe the relative size of different metric units, and choose appropriate
units and tools to measure length, mass, and capacity

Time
E2.3 solve problems involving elapsed time by applying the relationships between different units of time

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Angles
E2.4 identify angles and classify them as right, straight, acute, or obtuse

Area
E2.5 use the row and column structure of an array to measure the areas of rectangles and to show that
the area of any rectangle can be found by multiplying its side lengths
E2.6 apply the formula for the area of a rectangle to find the unknown measurement when given two of
the three

F. Financial Literacy
Overall expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

F1. Money and Finances

demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to make informed financial decisions

Specific expectations
By the end of Grade 4, students will:

Money Concepts
F1.1 identify various methods of payment that can be used to purchase goods and services
F1.2 estimate and calculate the cost of transactions involving multiple items priced in whole-dollar
amounts, not including sales tax, and the amount of change needed when payment is made in cash,
using mental math

Financial Management
F1.3 explain the concepts of spending, saving, earning, investing, and donating, and identify key factors
to consider when making basic decisions related to each
F1.4 explain the relationship between spending and saving, and describe how spending and saving
behaviours may differ from one person to another

Consumer and Civic Awareness

F1.5 describe some ways of determining whether something is reasonably priced and therefore a good
purchase

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Strand overviews
Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand A – Social-Emotional Learning
(SEL) Skills in Mathematics and The Mathematical Processes

Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand B – Number

Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand C – Algebra

Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand D – Data

Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand E – Spatial Sense

Ontario Mathematics Curriculum Expectations, Grades 1–8, 2020: Strand F – Financial Literacy

Information for parents

A parent's guide to Mathematics, Grades 1–8 (2020)For informational purposes only, not part of official
issued curriculum.
For informational purposes only, not part of official issued curriculum.

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