As Lower Elementary Math builds a concrete foundation of conceptual understanding, Upper Elementary Math takes students into a guided discovery of mathematical applications.  The classroom is full of materials that were at one time used for helping students to construct a concrete understanding of basic math principles.  These same materials are now being used to assist students in a greater understanding of advanced math.  What was once used for teaching students place value, the Golden Beads now teach students to square binomials.  As students enter the classroom, they have learned math facts, but spend time in Upper Elementary working towards increased recall time.  By methods of drills, materials or simply working out problems, students are able to memorize math facts by the time they leave the classroom.  Upper Elementary math does not stay stationary; rather, its fingers are felt in all components of the curriculum.  Students study the evolutionary history of mathematics and the importance it has played on the history of humankind.  Math education also appears in the science lab, as students take what they have learned and apply it to science lessons.  Math also has literacy applications in the study of solving everyday problems through comprehension and writing of problems faced in everyday life.  In the Upper Elementary, Math is not simply memorized, but applied to the student’s everyday lives.