Core Subjects EC-6 — Math
The number-concepts foundation every elementary teacher needs — hands-on, one idea at a time.
This track builds the number sense behind the EC-6 Core Subjects math content — the part that trips up the most test-takers. Each lesson is something you do, not just read: predict an answer, sort claims true from false, and check yourself as you go. By the end you will not just know the rules — you will be able to teach them with the manipulatives elementary classrooms actually use.
Five short lessons plus a capstone. No prior coursework assumed — start at Lesson 1 and work through.
Lessons
Lesson 1Sequences & Series
Hands-on: spot the rule behind a pattern, tell arithmetic from geometric, and add up a series without writing out every term.
Lesson 2Number Systems & Place Value
Hands-on: place value with base-ten blocks, why our system is base-ten, how binary works, and the logic of sets — the backbone of "what a number means."
Lesson 3Number Theory & Properties
Hands-on: primes, factors and multiples, prime factorization, GCF and LCM, and the commutative, associative, distributive, and identity properties.
Lesson 4Whole Numbers, Integers & Fractions
Hands-on: how naturals, wholes, and integers nest together, the number line both directions, and fractions made concrete with fraction circles and squares.
Lesson 5Rational, Irrational & Real Numbers; Functions
Hands-on: which numbers are rational, what makes a number irrational, how it all fits inside the real numbers, and the idea of a function as a rule.
Capstone project
Build itDesign a Concept Manipulative
Apply everything: design a hands-on manipulative that makes one EC-6 math concept click for a learner — plan it, build it from everyday materials, test it on a real person, and submit it.