Students need to know their basic math facts. The ability to automatically add, subtract, multiply, and divide with basic numbers supports them in so many ways. But not everyone is mastering these facts. What can we do to support students who struggle to master basic math facts? An important first step is for students to understand the operations. Lots of discussion, problem-posing, and hands-on experiences will help them understand what it means to add, subtract, multiply, or divide and is an important step prior to asking students to memorize facts.

Helping students develop strategies based on an understanding of numbers is another key step. We help students learn ten facts in addition and then show them how these facts can help them know others. If they know that 7+3=10, then 7+4 must be 11 since it is one more! The more students understand numbers, the more paths they will find that lead to answers. Understanding the commutative property allows students to double their basic fact repertoire, knowing that 9×3=27 because they know that 3×9=27!

Finally, getting students involved in engaging activities that give them repetitive practice allows them to commit their math facts to memory. While in the past we focused on speed drills and elimination games (e.g., Around the World), we are now striving to select practice activities that do not eliminate or discourage the students who most need to be involved.  Could students work with a partner to roll two number cubes (e.g., 1-6 or 4-9), multiply to find the product of the two numbers they roll, and fill in as many products as possible on a multiplication chart? Do you have any math fact activities to share?

 

Following are a few of my favorites. For additional activities, try Now I Get It: Strategies for Building Confident and Competent Mathematicians K-6 (Heinemann) which highlights activities and comes with customizable math fact game templates on the CD.

 

What’s in the Bag? (subtraction)

Materials: a paper bag labeled with the number of cubes that are inside

Description: One partner takes out some cubes and counts them, then asks his/her partner to say how many cubes are still in the bag. They take them out to check the difference.

Multiplication Face-Off (multiplication or addition)

Materials: 1 deck of playing cards per pair including 1(ace)-10 in all suits

Description: This card game is played like the traditional card game of War.  Cards are equally divided between partners. Each player pulls 2 cards from his stack and multiplies to find the product. The player with the largest sum (or product) is the winner and gets to keep all 4 cards. Players then each pull another two cards from their deck and continue. (A multiplication or addition chart may be kept face down to check any questionable answers.) Play continues until one player has all of the cards.

Variation: Set a time limit. The player with the most cards when time is up is the winner.

 

Three-in-a-Row (multiplication)

Materials: a completed multiplication chart with facts 1-9 for each pair; a different color crayon for each player; a spinner with nine sections labeled 1-9

Description: One student spins the spinner twice and finds the product of the two spins. She then colors that product somewhere on the multiplication chart (ie. if she spins 6 and 6, she needs to color the product 36 on the chart but can find anywhere it might appear like 6×6 or 9×4 or 4×9, but she must select only one square on the chart to color). It is then the other player’s turn. Once a square has been colored, it cannot be colored again. If a player cannot find an uncolored product on the chart, she cannot color a square for that turn. The first player to color three squares in a row (across, up and down, or diagonal) is the winner.