As math teachers, we want all of our students to develop a quick recall of addition 1 digit problems and subtraction problems. We call them basic math facts because they provide a foundation for math success. However, some students effortlessly remember the facts, and others struggle with remembering them. As a result, we are always looking for different strategies and activities to help all students succeed.
Providing opportunities to do math puzzles daily is one way to help students practice their math facts and make math fun. So get this Freebie of 71 Math Number Puzzles delivered to your inbox to use with your students.
Students who feel successful in math class are happier and more engaged in learning. Check out The Bonus Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys for students to use in your classroom to cultivate a positive classroom community in mathematics. You can also sign up for other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
Basic facts truly are the foundation on which all mathematical computation is based. However, so often, students lack this foundation. For example, I have been working with a group of third-grade students, and it is obvious they do not know their basic facts. As a result, the students struggle when adding money, solving multi-digit problems, or solving mental math problems. If students had automaticity and understanding of basic facts, they would be better prepared to solve more complex problems. So how do we do that?
What are Addition 1 Digit Facts?
Facts with addends of 0-10 are considered basic facts. Sometimes, 0-9 are considered basic facts.
As math teachers, we want our students to become fluent in addition 1, digit and subtraction facts. We call these basic math facts because they provide the foundation for more complex problems.
Students should develop both automaticity and an understanding of math facts. Automaticity is a student’s ability to recall a fact effortlessly. In addition, we want our students to understand these essential facts. Here is a breakdown of when students are expected to have automaticity with their basic facts.
Addition Facts to 5 Standard
K.OA.A.5 By the end of kindergarten, students should know addition and subtraction facts with sums to 5 from memory. They should have various experiences using concrete materials and drawings to show their understanding. Using five frames with counters helps to develop and reinforce sums to 5. Students should be able to give a sum or difference in about 3 seconds without resorting to counting to be fluent.
- Variety of materials to practice facts with sums to 5.
- Use counters, dot cards, five frames, linking cubes, and pictures.
- Addition within 5 with Pictures
Addition Facts for 10 Standard
1.OA.C.6 Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction with 10. Students should use concrete materials and ten frames to develop a conceptual understanding of strategies.
- Variety of materials to practice adding and subtracting with sums to 20
- Explain their strategy for finding the sum.
- Demonstrate fluency for facts with sums to 10
- Extend the use of strategies to facts with sums to 20. (They will be expected to be fluent in 2nd Grade)
- Use of concrete objects and ten frames. FREE Ten Frames Free Printable- 5, 10, and Double Ten Frames- Digital and Print Versions
Addition Facts to 20 Standard
2.OA.B.2 Fluency add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By the end of Grade 2, know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory. Students should review and extend strategies with explicit activities connected to facts using concrete materials, number lines, and the hundred chart for addition and subtraction facts with sums to 20.
- Variety of materials to practice adding and subtracting with sums to 20.
- Explain their strategy for finding the sum.
- Demonstrate fluency for facts with sums to 20.
- Use of concrete objects, number lines, and the hundred chart.
Compose and Decompose Numbers
This is a prerequisite for students learning their addition math facts. It involves helping children break numbers down into parts (decompose) and then back together ( compose). For example, a student who can compose and decompose numbers understands that 1 and 3 together make 4. In addition, can break 4 into 1 and 3.
It is important to use concrete and pictorial representations to understand that numbers can be put together and then taken apart in various ways. Students need many opportunities with numbers to 5 and later extending to 10. This forms the foundation for future work with place value and helps students develop mental images and strategies with basic facts.
Read more…Discover Fun and Exciting Activities and Upack What is Decomposing in Math?
- Decompose & Compose Numbers to 10 Anchor Charts
- Compose and Decompose Numbers Slides and Printables
- Compose and Decompose Numbers Activities
What is an Addition Fact Family?
A collection of related addition and subtraction facts involving the same numbers. Most addition and subtraction fact families include two addition and two subtraction facts. For example, the addition/subtraction fact family for the numbers 7, 8, and 15 consists of the following: & + 8= 15, * + 7= 15, 15- 7=8, 17 -8= 7.
Why Do We Need to Know Our Addition Math Facts?
If students know their basic facts, it will be easier to solve more complex problems. As math tasks become more complex, students need to have a solid foundation to build upon. Committing basic math facts to memory speeds up math tasks. In addition, students who have committed basic math facts to memory can perform mental math tasks. Mastery of basic facts provides the foundation for everyday mental math tasks.
Automaticity is the quick and effortless recall of basic facts. This is the goal for our students, along with understanding the facts.
Why is it Important to Understand Basic Addition Facts?
The ability to recall facts is improved when understanding is connected to them. Memorizing nonsense is more difficult because we do not understand or make connections.
Strategies for Addition Facts
Plus 1 Addition Facts
Here we begin to transition students from counting all to beginning with one addened and counting on. When 1 is added to a number, the sum is the next counting number. In addition, number bonds or number lines are a helpful visual for recognizing this idea.
Plus 2 Addition Facts
Once students have begun to add 1, they can count on 2 more. After students have engaged in various activities to understand 1 more and 2 more they can start building automaticity.
Plus 0 Addition Facts
The 0 facts are the simplest set of facts since adding nothing does not change a quantity. However, it can be a little confusing to students so it is important to act out these situations.
Adding 10
These facts expand students’ number sense and get them ready for using the making ten and using tens strategy. This strategy teaches them that adding 10 to any 1 digit number will result in a 2 digit number with a 1 in the tens place. This is how we teach teen numbers also.
What are Doubles Facts in Math?
Doubles facts are where both addends are the same. There is no need to address the commutative property, so this fact set is small. In addition, these facts are usually easy for students to recall because of so many real-world experiences. Students will later use these facts to find the sums of near-doubles facts.
Doubling refers to the process of adding a quantity to itself. It is joining two like groups.
- 2 + 2= 4
- 5 + 5= 10
- 9 + 9= 18
Read more… 5 Simple and Effective Ways to Practice Doubles Facts in Math.
Making Ten
Knowing the addition facts that have a sum of 10 provides the foundation of many other facts. This strategy is also very useful for many mental math strategies.
Using Tens
Using tens is easiest when one addend is either 9 or 8. In these cases, students simply break apart the other addend and add 1 or 2 to make ten. Then, adding the remaining amount to find the sum.
Using Doubles
Students use their knowledge of doubles facts to explore doubles plus one more.
Here is a doubles math facts worksheet to practice doubles addition facts to 20. This FREE product includes 1 Anchor Chart, 1 Digital Slide, and 1 Printable Doubles worksheet. These use dots on a ladybug to model the doubles facts for doubles facts in math practice.
How to Teach Addition 1 Digit Facts
Through hands-on activities and thoughtful discussions, students develop a deeper understanding about math facts and develop valuable strategies related to these facts.
Students develop a deeper understanding of basic facts through problem-posing, hands-on exploration, real-world examples, songs, games, and exploring situations from children’s literature.
As students begin to understand addition as a total or whole, they can find sums in concrete ways using manipulatives to represent items, then physically moving the items together and then counting them to find the total (Count All strategy). Using ten-frames and part-part-whole mats are useful to help students organize their counters. This is a great early on strategy however it isn’t the most efficient way for students to determine the total number of objects. Eventually, we need to build on students’ understanding by targeting specific sets of facts and focusing on efficiently adding strategies without counting every object. Then this will lead to the counting on strategy.
Addition Facts Song
Using songs helps students remember their basic math facts.
- Move and Add, Add and Move | Jack Hartmann Addition Song
- Let’s Learn Our Addition Facts 1 | Addition Song for Kids
- Addition Song for kids – Jack Hartmann – YouTube
- Songs for Teaching Addition
Using Literature
Animals on Board (MathStart) and Domino Addition are two of my favorite books to use with addition. Students can use counters to model what is happening in the book. Here is a list of other books to use when teaching addition. After reading Domino Addition, it might be fun to use this domino addition resource.
Using items from the books helps students connect to what is happening. The more real-world connections we can make, the more students can see the math all around them. For example, using food, animal, or objects that relate to a book.
Acting out Story Problems
Acting out addition story problems (with their bodies or counters) can make addition fun and real-life. I like to use situations in literature books to connect with students.
Acting out problems is a hands-on and engaging addition activity that encourages collaboration amongst students. You can even use a five or ten frame by creating one with tape on the floor. First, have students stand in the spaces to represent 10 counters. Next, read a story problem aloud and have students act the problem out, using themselves as counters in the ten-frame. Then, have them all say the addition sentence aloud.
Pose story problems and have students model the problem. Here are some examples:
- Andre had 9 basketballs. He had 8 soccer balls. How many total balls did he have?
- Sara had 4 red flowers. She had 2 yellow followers. How many total flowers did she have?
Five Frames & Ten Frames
A Five Frame has five equal spaces in a row. For children in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten who have not yet explored a ten frame, it is a good idea, to begin with a five frame. The five frame focuses on the relationship to 5 as an anchor for numbers. These are often used before introducing a ten frame. Check out this link to find a free five-frame printable and digital version. Five Frames Template
A ten frame is a rectangle with ten equal spaces. It has five spaces on top and five on the bottom. Ten frames are a fantastic tool used in kindergarten and first grade to help build an understanding of counting, place value, adding, subtracting, and more. Students can model solving addition 1 digit problems with a five or ten frame. Check out this link to find a free Ten Frames Template. Ten Frames Free Printable. Read more… Why Using Ten Frames for Math to Develop Understanding is Effective?
Part- Part- Whole Mats
Part- Part- Whole Mat: Allow students to use manipulatives to create two equal-sized groups. Students place counters in one part and then put an equal number in the other part. Then, record an addition equation to show the two parts and find the sum. Read more…How to Use the Powerful Part-Part-Whole Strategy to Improve Number Sense.
Addition Games
Addition Games for Kindergarten
- Use paint or Bingo daubers. Have students dab (or paint) spots. Then, have a partner find the total.
- Have students pick two numeral cards. Then, model the problem with counters.
- Marble Math Addition
Addition Games for Grade 1
- Domino Addition: Have students add the dots on the dominoes and record the sums. Or they can sort them by sums. For example, put all the dominoes with a sum of 3 in a pile, etc.
- Dice Addition: Roll 2 dice and find the Sum.
- The Sum of All Dice
- Addition Facts to 10
Addition Games for Grade 2
Top Addition Practice for Kindergarten and Beyond Resources
- Using Math Puzzles to make math fun. These puzzles have students practice their basic facts in a fun way. Check out these Free Math Puzzles.
- Digital Products to use as warm-ups, centers, or independent practice. Math Fact Practice, Addition Facts to 10 in Ten Frames, Addition Facts to 10. Pixel art is also fun and self-checking.
- Part- Part- Whole Activities have students identify the part they see and determine the covered amount. These are great for practicing addition and subtraction and make great warm-ups, centers, or independent practice.
Additional Resources
- 20 Totally Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts
- How to use Engaging Math Puzzles for Fun to Build Number Sense
- Discover Fun and Exciting Activities and Upack What is Decomposing in Math?
- Top 3 Simple and Effective Subtraction for Kindergarten Worksheets and Activities
Addition Practice
By providing opportunities for students to understand addition 1 digit problems, we are preparing them to develop automaticity with their basic facts. This will allow them to do more complex problems, be more successful, and enjoy math. This is an essential foundational skill that we need to provide time for in our classrooms.
Providing opportunities to do math puzzles daily is one way to help students develop their number sense and make math fun. So get this Freebie of 71 Math Number Puzzles delivered to your inbox to use with your students. You can also sign up to receive other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
Check out The Free Ultimate Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys to use in your classroom.
What resources do you like to use to practice basic facts? Let’s make learning basic addition facts fun so that students enjoy learning them and are successful. Developing fluency in addition 1 digit problems will prepare students for many other skills, making it essential.
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