Intermediate Grades 3-5

"Most students enter grade 3 with enthusiasm for, and interest in, learning mathematics. In fact, nearly three-quarters of U.S. fourth graders report liking mathematics (Silver, Strutchens, and Zawojewski 1997). They find it practical and believe that what they are learning is important. If the mathematics studied in grades 3–5 is interesting and understandable, the increasingly sophisticated mathematical ideas at this level can maintain students' engagement and enthusiasm. But if their learning becomes a process of simply mimicking and memorizing, they can soon begin to lose interest. Instruction at this level must be active and intellectually stimulating and must help students make sense of mathematics."
(NCTM Standards)

Assessment Ideas:

Students should feel comfortable making and correcting mistakes.
Rewards are given for sustained effort and progress, not the number of problems completed.
Students think through and explain their solutions instead of seeking or trying to recollect the "right" answer or method.
The teacher establishes the model for classroom discussion, making explicit what counts as a convincing mathematical argument.
The teacher lays the groundwork for students to be respectful listeners, valuing and learning from one another's ideas even when they disagree with them.

(Source: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter5/index.htm)