Homeschool Math Terms, Explained
Curriculum descriptions are full of jargon. Here are the terms you'll run into most often, in plain English.
Spiral
An approach that introduces concepts in small increments and reviews them repeatedly across the year so skills stay fresh. Saxon Math is the best-known example.
Mastery
An approach that teaches one topic deeply until the student masters it before moving on. Singapore Math-Dimensions and Math-U-See lean mastery.
Manipulatives
Physical objects — blocks, abacuses, fraction circles — students use to make abstract math concepts concrete. Math-U-See and RightStart rely heavily on manipulatives.
Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA)
A teaching sequence, central to Singapore math, that moves from hands-on objects (concrete) to drawings (pictorial) to numbers and symbols (abstract).
Bar model
A visual problem-solving tool used in Singapore math, where quantities are drawn as bars to make word problems easier to reason about.
Number bonds
A way of showing how a number breaks into parts (for example, 10 is 6 and 4), used to build early number sense.
Scope and sequence
The list of topics a curriculum covers and the order it teaches them. Useful for checking what a level includes before you buy.
Placement test
A short assessment that finds the right starting level for a student in a specific curriculum, based on mastered skills rather than age or grade.
