Cyprus

The Mathematics Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

The mathematics curriculum in the primary and secondary grades is prescribed centrally by the MoEC. The main focus of the mathematics curriculum in primary education is preparing students for the acquisition of essential mathematical knowledge and competencies in ways that meet the needs of individuals as constructive, concerned, and reflective citizens. The curriculum approaches students’ mathematical proficiency as a construct that can be broken down into the following five aspects: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and productive disposition toward mathematics.⁸

Exhibit 1 outlines the fourth grade mathematics curriculum that was in effect during the 2014–2015 school year.⁹

Exhibit 1: Fourth Grade Mathematics Curriculum

Units	Topics
Numbers and Operations	Read, write, represent, compare, and order whole numbers up to 1,000,000 Round whole numbers up to 100,000 Perform mental addition and subtraction with numbers up to 10,000 Estimate and calculate addition and subtraction with whole numbers up to 100,000 Develop and apply standard algorithms for addition and subtraction with whole numbers up to 1,000,000 Perform mental multiplication and division Develop and apply standard algorithms for multiplying multiple-digit whole numbers by one-digit whole numbers Develop and apply standard algorithms for dividing multiple-digit dividends by one-digit divisors Understand and use the concepts of divisor, dividend, remainder, factor, and multiple Understand the criteria of divisibility for 2, 5, and 10 Solve and pose routine problems involving addition and multiplication Solve nonroutine problems using multiple strategies (e.g., logical reasoning, working backwards, trial and error, using materials, making a table, looking for patterns, making a drawing, and simplifying the problem) Understand the concept of fractions as parts of a whole and as parts of a set of discrete objects Calculate parts of a whole number Understand fraction equivalence Compare and order fractions and decimal numbers with up to two decimal digits Use fractions to represent units Add and subtract like fractions Read, represent, and compare decimals with up to two decimal digits Convert between decimal numbers and fractions with a denominator of 10 or 100
Measurement	Use conventional units of measurement for length (mm, cm, m, km), mass (kg, g), capacity (l, ml), and volume (m3, cm3) Relate units of measurement for length (e.g., 1 m=100 cm=1,000 mm) Measure the area and perimeter of rectangles and squares using the appropriate formulas Measure the area of right triangles Use decimals to represent quantities of money Relate units of measurement for time (e.g., year, decade, and century) Solve problems involving the relationship between hours and minutes
Geometry	Identify and construct right, acute, and obtuse angles in two-dimensional shapes Identify and name parallel and perpendicular lines Identify parallel and perpendicular sides in two-dimensional shapes Identify, name, and describe polygons using appropriate terms Identify and name parallelograms Classify shapes based on their sides (e.g., parallel or perpendicular) and angles (e.g., specified or unspecified magnitude) Identify and name three-dimensional shapes (e.g., cube, rectangular prism, prism, pyramid, sphere, cylinder, and cone) using appropriate terms Identify faces, edges, and vertices Identify and match nets with specific three-dimensional shapes Identify and construct the line symmetry in two-dimensional shapes Identify, complete, and construct symmetrical shapes (with a horizontal or vertical line of symmetry) Describe the position of an object Give a sequence of instructions related to position using the language of position and movement
Algebra	Identify, complete, and generate patterns Describe the rule of patterns Build number and shape patterns Model problems using mathematical expressions with a symbol for the unknown number Solve and pose routine problems involving addition and multiplication and involving one or two operations Solve nonroutine problems Use the commutative and associative properties of addition and multiplication and the distributive property of multiplication to simplify calculations and verify results Use the distributive property of multiplication (along with addition and subtraction) to calculate products
Statistics and Probability	Interpret and construct bar charts, tables, and picture graphs using a legend Interpret pie charts Order events based on their possibility of occurrence using the concepts “impossible,” “less possible,” “equally possible,” “possible,”  and “certain”

The main learning objectives for mathematics in secondary education include helping students to appreciate the value and importance of mathematics in various aspects of human life; develop mathematical knowledge and skills, which may be applied in analyzing and solving problems in other subject domains as well as everyday contexts; develop the ability to solve mathematical problems in multiple ways and make decisions rationally and creatively; and build the background knowledge and skills needed to support productive engagement with other academic areas that draw on mathematics.¹⁰

Exhibit 2 presents the mathematics curriculum for the eighth grade that was in effect during the 2014–2015 school year.¹¹

Exhibit 2: Eighth Grade Mathematics Curriculum

Units	Topics
Real Numbers	Properties of exponents where the index is a natural number Rational numbers raised to integer exponents Square and cubic roots Properties of roots Pythagorean theorem
Algebraic Expressions	Monomials Operations with monomials Polynomials Addition of polynomials Multiplication of polynomials Division of polynomials
Geometry	Symmetry Parallelograms Orthogonal parallelograms Rhombuses Squares Trapezoids Circumference of a circle Area of a disk
Equations and Inequalities	First order equations in one variable with one parameter Solving formulas for a given variable Properties of inequalities First order inequalities Solving simultaneous inequalities—interval presentation
Functions	Relations and functions Linear functions—lines Special cases of linear functions Slope of a line Linear systems of two equations with two unknowns
Proportional and Inversely Proportional Quantities	Proportional quantities Inversely proportional quantities
Statistics and Probability	Measures of central tendency (i.e., mean, median, and mode) Statistics with spreadsheets Experimental probability—the basic counting principle