Summary
As a math teacher, I have tried and continue using many practice activities- oral and written, games, and online computer programs. I have done fact practice in whole groups, small groups, assigned it independently, and made them into centers. My students learn in a variety of ways, and so I allow them to practice in different ways. However, I always feel like I don’t have enough time to support all students in becoming fluent. Therefore, I have narrowed it down to 7 strategies I must teach my students to help them learn their facts.
Teaching strategies for add and subtract facts is essential in helping students learn their basic facts of addition and subtraction. Adding and subtracting within 20 builds the foundation for more complex problems and is critical for students. That said, the basic facts are also problematic. The goal is for most students to know, fluently and with automaticity, their addition and subtraction facts by the end of second grade. But this often doesn’t happen. So why is fluency with the basic facts challenging for so many students?
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As a math teacher, I have tried and continue using many practice activities- oral and written, games, and online computer programs. I have done fact practice in whole groups, small groups, assigned it independently, and made them into centers. My students learn in a variety of ways, and so I allow them to practice in different ways. However, I always feel like I don’t have enough time to support all students in becoming fluent. Therefore, I have narrowed it down to 7 strategies I must teach my students to help them learn their facts.
Fact Fluency Strategies and Ideas
As math teachers, we want all of our students to develop a quick recall of addition and subtraction facts. We expect all students to master these basic skills, but this can be difficult. Some students effortlessly remember the facts, and others struggle with them. As teachers, we are constantly looking for new strategies and activities to help all students succeed.
We are constantly reminded that our students learn in a variety of ways. These 7 strategies will support all students in understanding basic addition and subtraction math facts and committing these facts to memory.
What Are Basic Facts?
Facts with addends 0-10 are considered basic facts. In some programs, facts with single-digit addends (0-9) are considered basic facts. We call them the basic math facts because they provide a foundation for more complex skills and procedures.
What Constitutes Mastery of Basic Facts?
Our goal in today’s math classroom has shifted from memorizing facts and procedures to increased understanding of math skills and concepts. We want our students to be able to do mathematics, but we also want them to understand the math they are doing. The goal is both automaticity and understanding. Automaticity is the student’s ability to recall a fact effortlessly. If students are automatic, they have successfully committed the facts to memory. In addition, we want our students to understand, not simply remember, these essential math facts.
Why Do We Need to Know our Basic 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 a solid foundation to build on.
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.
Why is it Important to Understand Basic Facts?
The ability to recall facts is improved when understanding is connected to them. Memorizing nonsense is more difficult because we need to understand and make connections.
Strategies for Teaching Addition and Subtraction Standards
As math teachers, we want our students to become fluent in their single-digit addition 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.
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. To be fluent, students should be able to give a sum or difference in about 3 seconds without resorting to counting.
- Variety of materials to practice facts with sums to 5.
- Use counters, dot cards, five frames, linking cubes, and pictures.
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.
FREE Ten Frames Free Printable- 5, 10, and Double Ten Frames- Digital and Print Versions
- 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.
Addition and Subtraction 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.
What is an Addition and Subtraction Fact Family?
A fact family is 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.
What Is Math Strategies in Math?
Our goal is for our students to have automatic recall of math facts. We want them to simply know the sums and differences so they can think about more complex problems. Our students require many opportunities to explore facts, to develop their understanding and practice.
The automatic recall comes from repeated opportunities with math facts. By systematically teaching students these 7 strategies, we are providing them opportunities to make connections and understand numbers so they are ready to solve more complex problems.
Teaching Strategies for Addition and Subtraction
Plus 0 Addition Facts (Minus 0 Facts)
The 0 facts are the simplest set of facts since adding nothing does not change a quantity. However, it can be confusing to students, so it is important to act out these situations.
Once students are comfortable with the addition with 0, provide opportunities to explore taking away 0.
Plus 1 and Plus 2 Addition Facts (Minus 1 and Minus 2 Facts)
Here we begin to transition students from counting all to beginning with one added and counting on. When 1 is added to a number, the sum is the next counting number. Number bonds or number lines are a helpful visual for recognizing this idea.
Once students have begun to add 1, they can count on 2 more. Then, after students have engaged in various activities to understand 1 more and 2 more, they can start building automaticity.
Once students develop an understanding of plus 1 and plus 2 facts, talk about the connection between addition and subtraction facts and explore minus 1 and minus 2 facts.
Adding 10 (Minus 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. Also, this is how we teach teen numbers. Check out this Free Teen Number Resource to use with students.
Once students have an understanding of adding 10, make the connection to minus 10. Students will begin to see patterns and connect this learning to building teen numbers.
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 many real-world experiences. Students will later use these facts to find the sums of near-doubles facts. Read more… 5 Simple and Effective Ways to Practice Doubles Facts in Math.
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
Check out this Doubles Math Facts Freebie to use with students.
Discuss with students the opposite of doubling is, halving, and show what happens when one half is separated from the other. This visual helps students find the difference for doubles subtraction.
doubles-math-facts-worksheetMaking Ten or Facts of 10 (Subtract from 10)
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. Check out these Sums of 10 Activities.
Once students learn the number pairs for making 10, they can use this information to subtract from 10. Number bonds or part-part-whole mats are an excellent tool for finding the addends that make 10.
Try out this Addition Facts That Have a Sum of 10 resource that has a class monster project, mini books, worksheets, and games.
Using Tens (Subtracting 10)
Using tens is most accessible 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, add the remaining amount to find the sum. Try out the Make a 10 to Add Resource.
Students can make a problem easier to solve by subtracting 10 when the problem is subtracting 8 or 9. Then, remember to add the 1 or 2 back.
Near Double Strategy For Fact Fluency
Students use their knowledge of doubles facts to explore doubles plus one more.
When exploring near doubles, the addends are about half. Support students in developing this number sense by flashing a near doubles sum and asking students to identify about half. Identifying this helps students check if their answer makes sense.
Strategies for Addition Instruction and Subtraction
Through hands-on activities and thoughtful discussions, students develop a deeper understanding of 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 counting them to find the total (Count All strategy).
Using ten-frames and part-part-whole mats is 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. 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 my favorite books to use with students. Students can use counters to model what is happening in the book. Here is a list of other books to use when teaching addition and subtraction. 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 related to a book.
Acting out Story Problems
Acting out story problems (with their bodies or counters) can make addition and subtraction 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 among 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 number sentence aloud.
Pose story problems and have students model the problem.
- 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 yet to explore 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. 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.
Fact Fluency Activities for Students
Fun Addition Games for Kindergarten and Technology Resources
- 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 and Technology Resources
- 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 and Technology Resources
Additional Resources
- The Use-Doubles Strategy for Addition: Making it Easy and Fun for Your Students!
- 7 Games for Practicing Math Facts
- 5 Powerful Ideas to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset in Mathematics
- Top 3 Easy and Successful Alternatives to a Counting Worksheet
- 5 Simple and Effective Ways to Practice Doubles Facts in Math
Strategies for Addition and Subtraction
Try systematically teaching these 7 strategies to students to help them learn their addition and subtraction facts. By investing time into teaching students these strategies, they will develop automaticity with their facts and be better prepared to solve more challenging math problems.
Using various methods, games, and activities will ensure you reach all students. What are some of your favorite ways to ensure success with add and subtract facts in your math classroom?
