To help elementary teachers deepen their understanding of the subject, Schwartz (childhood education, St. John Fisher College) explains basic ideas behind elementary mathematics content by relating concepts to real life situations and using "powerful ideas" as an organizing framework. He relates these ideas (composition, decomposition, relationships, representation, and context) to each content area, including arithmetic, the number system, geometry, decimals, measurement, algebra, and probability, so that in understanding them better, teachers will become better educators. He refers to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics process strands, and includes practice exercises and activities. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)