Santa Monica College
Course Outline For
Math 41
Course Title: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers
Date Submitted:
Updated: Fall 2009
I.
Units: 3
IGETC Area: Not Applicable
CSU GE Area: B4 Mathematics
Transfer: CSU/UC
Catalog Description: This course is designed for pre-service elementary school teachers. The
course will examine five content areas: Numeration (historical development of numeration
system); Set Theory (descriptions of sets, operations of sets, Venn Diagrams); Number Theory
(divisibility, primes and composites, greatest common divisor, least common multiple); Properties
of Numbers (whole numbers, integers, rational numbers and models for teaching binary
operations); and Problem Solving (strategies, models to solve problems, inductive and deductive
reasoning).
Prerequisite: Math 20
II.
Required Text and References:
(include all publication dates, for transferable courses at least one text should have been
published within the last five years)
Suggested Text: Sowder J, Sowder L, Nickerson s, Reconceptualizing Mathematics for
Elementary School Teachers, W.H. Freeman, 2010
References:
III.
Beckmann Sybilla, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, Pearson, 2008
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course students will be able to:
A. Perform operations (union, intersection, complement) with sets and draw and interpret Venn
diagrams.
B. Perform binary operations in various numeration systems.
C. Demonstrate models for teaching binary operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division) with whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers.
D. Identify and correctly apply the field properties of the real number system.
E. Use the rules of divisibility and prime factorization of composite numbers to find the least
common multiples and greatest common factors of given sets of numbers.
F. Use problem-solving strategies (looking at a simpler cases, making a table, using indirect
reasoning, looking for a pattern, examining a related problem) to solve application problems
IV.
Methods of Presentation:
Lecture, discussion, group work
Santa Monica College
Page 2 of 2
V.
Course Content:
Percentage
of Term
8%
10%
30%
10%
12%
30%
VI.
Methods of Evaluation:
Percentage
60%
30%
10%
VII.
Topic
Set theory
Development and application of algorithms for whole number operations
Development and application of algorithms for rational number operations
Alternate number bases and operations
Number theory
Development and application of problem solving strategiess
(Actual percentages will vary from instructor to
instructor but approximate values are shown.)
Evaluation Method
4-6 Exams
Final Exam
Homework, quizzes, projects
Sample Assignments: (please describe at least 2 sample assignments)
1. Three announcers each tried to predict the winner of Sunday’s professional football
games. The only team among those playing Sunday that was not picked as a winner was
the Giants. The choices of each announcer are listed below:
Phyllis: Cowboys, Steelers, Vikings, Bills
Rashid: Redskins, Vikings, Jets, Cowboys
Steven: Steelers, Packers, Cowboys, Redskins
If the only teams playing Sunday are those mentioned above, which teams are playing
against each other?
2. Kara showed that
1
3

+
3
4

4
by using the following diagram. How would you help her?
7
=