The picture above shows a fact triangle.

Fact triangles are great tools for students to use to

practice their addition and subtraction facts. These great ideas can take the place of a traditional flash
card. Students can use these with partners, groups, or individually. This small tool can be used to
practice addition by covering up the largest number and to practice subtraction by covering one of the
smaller numbers. Fact triangles help students who are struggling with learning their math facts by
providing slight clues. Just looking at the card a student can either ask what can I add to this number to
make the answer or what number can I subtract from this number to make the answer. This fact triangle
also helps students take the first steps to decide what to do. First, the student need to check and see if
the answer is getting larger then they need to recognize addition is needed. Second, the student needs
to check if the answer is getting smaller than the students will have to recognize that subtraction is
needed. This tool also gets students thinking about how addition and subtraction are inverse operations
of each other and how you can use addition to help solve subtraction problems and how subtraction can
be used to solve addition problems.

Now lets practice using the fact triangle.
Addition
1. Cover the number with the dot above it or, the largest number. (17)
2. Look at the two remaining numbers
3. Think to yourself what can I do with those two numbers ( +, -)
4. Then recite the fact out loud. 8 + 9 = 17
5. Check your answer by moving your finger.
6. Challenge yourself by saying the turnaround fact. 9 + 8 = 17

Subtraction
1. Cover one of the numbers without the dot above it, a smaller number ( 8 or 9)
2. Look at the two remaining number.
3. Think to yourself what can you do with those two numbers ( +,-)
4. Then recite the subtraction fact aloud. 17 -8 = 9
5. Check your answer by moving your finger.
6. Challenge yourself by reciting the complete fact family.

Fact Triangle
https://em-ccss.everydaymathonline.com/