Mastery of the Basic Facts There is no question that students need to learn the basic facts of addition and

multiplication. Fluency with basic facts allows for ease of computation, especially mental computation, and, therefore aids in the ability to reason numerically in every number-related situation. 1 Therefore, the question is, What is the most effective way for students to learn the basic facts? Drill and rote-memorization are probably the most popular approaches used in our schools. However, the fact that many students in the upper elementary grades still do not know the basic addition facts, tells us that these methods have not worked very well. What about timed tests? Teachers who use timed tests believe that the tests help children learn basic facts. This makes no instructional sense. Children who perform well under time pressure display their skills. Children who have difficulty with skills, or who work more slowly, run the risk of reinforcing wrong learning under pressure. In addition, children can become fearful and negative toward their math learning. 2 A large body of research indicates that an approach built on work with thinking strategies and number relationships leads to more efficient learning of the basic facts. When children learn basic facts by using thinking strategies, they will remember the facts over time and be able to connect them to other facts and concepts. 3 A three-step process is effective for mastering the basic facts. 1. Counting strategies: Children understand when each operation is called for, based on the meaning of the operation, and can successfully apply that operation to the problem, finding the answer in whatever informal way they understand. This usually involves counting. 2. Reasoning Strategies: Children use reasoning strategies and use facts that they know to find facts they do not know. For example, to find 6 x 9, a child might find 5 x 9 and then add one more 9. Through practice, they begin to recall facts more quickly. 3. Mastery: Children practice the facts they are learning in step 2 through games, songs, and other activities so that the facts are recalled with automaticity.
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Van de Walle, John. (2007). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. Pearson Education, Inc. 2 Burns, Marilyn. (2000) About teaching Mathematics: A K-8 resource. Math Solutions Publications 3 Jones, Joan Cohen. (2012). Visualizing:Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Methods. John Willey & Son.

Strategies To Facilitate Learning Basic Addition and Subtraction Facts Counting On: When children use counting on, they begin with one addend and then count on with the other addend. Once they understand this strategy, they will notice that it is easier to count on beginning with the large addend.

Activity for Counting On Numbers in a Bag 1. Give each pair of students a small bag containing slips of paper with the numbers 0-9 written on them. Each bag should have two slips of paper for each number. 2. Ask one student to select two numbers from the bag and the other student to find the sum of the numbers using counting on. 3. Reverse roles and play again.

Counting Back: Counting back is a more difficult strategy that can be used for subtraction problems. To find 10- 3, start at 10 and count back by ones 3 times. Begin with a counting back problem: There were 10 children riding the school bus. At the first stop, 3 children got off the bus. How many children were left on the bus? 1. Give each child a set of 10 Unix cubes and have them snap them together to make a train. 2. Have them count back 3 from 10 and take away 3 cubes from the train. 3. Have them count the number of cubes that remain. 4. Repeat with other subtraction facts. Doubles and Near Doubles: On an addition facts table all of the double facts are along a diagonal line from the top left to the bottom right of the table. Near doubles are simply doubles, plus or minus one. 1. Periodically conduct orally exercises in which student double the number you say. 2. As a related oral task, say a number and ask student to tell what double it is. 14 is double ?

One More Than/One Less Than This is a good strategy to combine with the doubles strategy. More or Less Activity Materials: Connecting cubes 1. Have children build two trains of specific lengths. 2. Have the children compare the trains to see which one has more cubes and which has less. 3. Have them determine how many more or less cubes one train has than the other. Can be expanded to two less and two more. Build a Stack

Materials: Connecting cubes 1. Give the children a variety of direction requiring them to use the concept of more or less to figure out the size of they stack you want them to build. Build a stack that has one more than four. Build a stack that has two more than six. Build a stack that has one less than seven. Build a stack that has two less than nine. Give-and-Take Materials: Margarine tubs (1per pair) Small whiteboard with marker and eraser. 1. With one partner looking on, the other partner counts a set of up to ten counters aloud and hides the set under a margarine tub. 2. Then they lift one edge of the tub and either add one more counter to the set or take one away. 3. The other partner writes the numeral that tells how many counters are now hidden. 4. They then lift the lid and count together to check. 5. They then switch roles. Making 10 and Up Over 10 Find numbers that make ten. For example, when given a addition fact such as 8 + 5, you can think that 8 + 2 =10, and then decompose 5 into 2 and 3 and write 8 + 5 = 8 + 2 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13 Learning Fact Families Fact families are groups of numbers that use the same three Numbers. 8 + 5 = 13 5 = 8 = 13 13 - 5= 8 13 8 = 5 Knowing fact families helps children connect their knowledge of basic facts to the properties of addition and subtraction.

Strategies to Facilitate Learning of Basic Multiplication Facts Taming the Meanies Adapted from: Creative Publications MathLand, Grade 4 Taming the Meanies is a strategy for individualized practice of basic multiplication facts. Have students identify the facts they do not know or give them the most trouble. Provide each child with a 3x5 card for each fact (no more than 10 at a time). The child writes one fact on each card and puts it in an envelope. As often as you would like, have the child remove one meanie from their envelope. Have them read it to themselves, stating both factors and the product, for 30 seconds. (Ex: 4 x 9 = 36) Now you can create any variation you want such as : Tell 5 other students your Meanie fact. Before you co to recess tell your neighbor your Meanie fact. As student leave school for the day have them tell you their Meanie fact on the way out the door.

 If you are wearing _______ stand up and say your Meanie fact. If you were born _______ stand up and say your Meanie fact. Do these at random times during the day. Instruct the students they are not allowed to look at the fact when they are doing one of the of these variations, but, they may look at it at any time they need to during the day as a reminder. Multiplication Fact Songs There are many versions of songs for multiplication facts. A quick online search can produce these. Here is an example of one: 7s Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49 56, 63, and 70 Pig Players: 2 or More Materials: 2 standard dice, paper and pencil Procedure: The goal of this game is to be the first player to reach 500. Player 1 begins and may roll the dice as many times as they like. On each roll, the player multiplies the dice together and keeps a running total of the products, trying to gain as many points as possible. A player may quit rolling at any time and then the second player begins rolling. When the second player quits rolling the next play rolls. This continues until one player reaches 500. The Catch: If a 1 comes up on one of the dice, the players turn ends and they get zero (0) points for that round. If, however, two 1s are rolled (snake-eyes) not only does the players turn end, but their total accumulated score returns to 0. Who will be a pig and keep rolling the dice?

Bingo This game may be used for either multiplication or division. Give each student a blank bingo board. Have them fill in each of these boxes with numbers of their choice from 1 to 100. Write or say a multiplication or division problem, such as 5x4 or 204. Student then must solve the problem. If they have the answer on their bingo board, they should cross it off. The first to get a line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins.

Variations: 1. Once a player wins they continue to play, trying for blackout while others are still trying to get a Bingo. 2. The first table or group of people to each get a Bingo wins.