Manic Monday - Part-Part-Whole Flip Cards

It's been a while since I've created anything for my math class, but after spending two days at the NCTM regional conference in Richmond, I was inspired to make some new resources. Today I'm sharing two sets of flip cards for working on subitizing, part-part-whole, missing addend problems, and basic facts.

Each set contains 55 cards covering addition facts from 0+0 through 9+9. You can access all 100 facts by using the Commutative property and covering a different part of the flip card. Here's what the packet and cards look like.

Once you print these back-to-back and cut along the dotted lines, you can select which part of the card you wish to "hide." Here's what a finished card looks like.

These flip card sets can be used to meet the following Common Core Standards for Math.

• K.OA.5.  Fluently add and subtract within 5.
• 1.OA.3.  Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract. Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)
• 1.OA.4.  Understand subtraction as an unknown-addend problem. For example, subtract 10 – 8 by finding the number that makes 10 when added to 8.
• 1.OA.5.  Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).
• 1.OA.6. Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).
• 2.OA.2.  Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.

Download  Part-Part-Whole Dot Pattern Flip Cards

Download Part-Part-Whole Ten Frame Flip Cards

I hope you get a chance to use these cards in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try them and how you like them! 

Monday Math Freebie - Fall-Themed Addition Games

I created two new addition games this weekend by putting a twist on some old favorites for practicing multiplication. Those games, and a few others with a fall theme can be found in this addition packet.

Here's what the games look like.

Download Fall Themed Addition Games

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how you like them! 

Monday Math Freebie - Dots and Boxes Games

While searching for resources for teaching scientific notation I came across a middle school version of the dot game where students were required to simplify exponents and record numbers in scientific notation. I loved this idea and wrote to the author asking if I could adapt his idea for the elementary classroom. My thanks to Kevin Koch for giving me permission to create these resources!

In this version of the dot game, students draw line segments and form boxes as usual. When they complete a box, they earn one point. However, if they complete a box with a number sentence, they must say the number sentence aloud and give the solution. Answering correctly earns a player extra points. Once all the boxes have been made, players total their scores. The player with the highest score is the winner.

The two versions I have today are for practicing basic facts, one in addition and one in multiplication. Here's what they look like.

Download Addition Dots and Boxes Game

Download Multiplication Dots and Boxes Game

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how you like them! 

Monday Math Freebie - Race for the Treasure!

Race for the Treasure is a simple, quick game where students practice basic facts in addition. The first player rolls two dice and finds the sum. If the sum is less than 7, Player 1 moves ahead one space. If the sum is greater than 7, Player 2 moves ahead one space. If the sum equals 7, the player moves back one space. Play continues in this fashion until one player reaches the treasure chest.

There are three slightly different versions available in this packet. They are pictured below.

 Download Race for the Treasure.

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how they work! 

Monday Math Freebie - Three to Win!

Three to Win is a simple, quick game where students practice basic facts in addition, subtraction and multiplication while using problem solving strategies. The first player rolls two dice and says the numbers. Then he/she looks at the empty spaces on the board and decides whether to ADD the numbers, SUBTRACT the numbers, or MULTIPLY the numbers. Once a choice is made, the player says the number sentence aloud and places his/her marker over the answer. If a player rolls doubles, he/she must cover one of the images on the board. Play alternates until one player gets three markers in a row, vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

There are several different versions available in this packet. They are pictured below.

 Download Three to Win.

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how they work! 

Monday Math Freebie - Addition BUMP!

I'm working on some resources for spring and for all those folks reviewing basic facts. Here's a set of BUMP boards I made for addition. Students roll a 10-sided die and then add the number on the board. You'll find boards for adding amounts from 1-10 to numbers from 1-10.

There are two versions available. They are both pictured below.

Download Buggy Addition BUMP. 

(Yes, I know snails aren't bugs! That's just what I named the file!)

Download Monster Addition BUMP.

If you don't have 10-sided dice, you can download a really nice set of dice templates from the Twinkl web site. Please note that you must sign up for a free account to download.

If you prefer to use spinners instead of dice, here is a set of 1-10 number spinners. In this file you'll find one large spinner, two medium-sized spinners, and four small spinners.

Download 1-10 Spinners.

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how they work! 

Math Freebie - Moo-ve It Games (+/x)

Here are two different adaptations of a game I found several years ago on the NC DPI web site. 

Version 1: Moo-ve It Addition! - In this game players roll two dice, determine the sum, and cover one occurrence of the sum on the game board. Players can bump each other's markers off the board to make room for their own. The first player to get three markers in a row is the winner.

Download Moo-ve It Addition.

Version 2: Moo-ve It Multiplication! - In this game players roll two dice, determine the product, and cover one occurrence of the product on the game board. Players can bump each other's markers off the board to make room for their own. The first player to get three markers in a row is the winner.

Download Moo-ve It Multiplication.

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try them and how they work! 

Monday Math Freebie - Function Machine Fun

I've been trying to find a fun way to practice basic facts while working with patterns and function machines. I think this idea works well.  Player 1 draws a Function/Rule card and hands his/her partner the number cards that correspond to the input numbers. Player 2 selects one of the input numbers and places it on the inbox of the function machine mat. Player 1 reads the rule on the Function/Rule card and places the correct output number on the outbox of the function machine mat. Player 2 records the information on an Input-Output Chart and tries to determine the rule. Play continues in this fashion until the rule is determined or the player runs out of recording spaces. After each player has taken four turns guessing the rule, players total their scores (total number of guesses needs) and the lowest score wins.

Here are a few sample images.

Download Function Machine Fun.

I hope you get a chance to use this in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try it and how it works! 

Strategies for Learning and Remembering Basic Addition Facts

I started teaching about addition and subtraction this week. We spend a lot of time thinking about how we get kids to master basic facts. When students first begin to work with addition, they use concrete objects and need to count all of the objects in the set beginning with one. Eventually they move on to counting up from the first addend. Our ultimate goal is to get them responding automatically to basic facts. The question is, how do we get there?

In helping students work through the operation of addition, we need to help them think about patterns and relationships so that basic facts are derived from number sense and thinking skills. Yes, they do need to be memorized, but I want my students to have a strong sense of number so that if they don't remember a fact quickly, they have some mental strategy for getting there.

To that end I spend a great deal of time reviewing strategies for addition facts. These should all be familiar to you, but there is one that seems to surprise teachers when I share it with them. Here's what it looks like.

I call these the "Two Apart" facts. That line on the addition table represents doubles facts. The "two apart" facts are in the shaded blocks. To use this strategy, students must know their doubles facts. When the addends in a sentence have a difference of two, the sum is the double of the number between them. 

5 + 7 = ?

The number between 5 and 7 is 6. 

6 doubled is 12.

5 + 7 = 12

This works because we've used compensation to adjust the addends. When we add one to the smaller addend and subtract one from the larger addend, we get two equal addends. This is the doubles fact!

Here are a few more examples.

6 + 8 = 7 + 7 = 14

7 + 9 = 8 + 8 = 16

See? This is simple and elegant and based in a strong understanding of numbers.

I've put together a packet with two versions of a chart for students to track their progress in mastering addition facts by the strategy used. You'll also find an explanation for each of the strategies presented. They are arranged in the order I generally teach these facts/strategies to students.

The ideas presented in the packet are designed to help meet the following Common Core Standards for Math:

• 1.OA.3. Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract. Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)
• 1.OA.5. Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).
• 1.OA.6. Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).
• 2.OA.2. Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.

Download Addition Fact Strategies.

I hope you get a chance to try these strategies in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try them and how they work! 

Math Freebie - Steal the Treasure!

While pinning resources yesterday I came across a fabulous post by Aimee of Primarily Speaking. In it she describes a game she learned about at a workshop. Using a number line written on a paint stick, students roll dice, add the numbers, and remove each other's markers. Called Walk the Plank, I thought it looked like great fun.

After writing to Aimee to ask if I could take this idea and run with it (she said yes!), I changed the title and made several different game boards. Here's a snapshot of this new version called Steal the Treasure.

The game comes with teacher directions, student directions (shown), and three different game boards. 

Download Steal the Treasure!. Please let me know if you try this with your students and how they liked it.

Domino Math - Addition and Multiplication

I've been working with my class on the operations of addition and subtraction. I like to use dominoes to practice basic facts, so I've been exploring different ways to do this. Here's a form I created for students to sort dominoes and then record corresponding addition sentences.

Download Domino Addition Sort.

In anticipation of where I'm going with my class, I went ahead and created a similar page for multiplication.

Download Domino Multiplication Sort.

If you download, please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Monday Math Freebie - Paper and Pencil Shut-the-Box

Last week my class started looking at activities for practicing basic facts in addition and subtraction. I created this recording sheet so that they could play a version of the game "Shut-the-Box" with paper and pencil. (You can learn more about the game at Board Game Central.)

Here's what it looks like.

Download Paper and Pencil Shut the Box.

If you still want the tactile aspect to this game, try writing the digits 1-9 on poker chips. As students flip or remove the chips they can record the results on this page.

I hope you get a chance to use this in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try this and how your kids like it. 

First Grade Addition and Subtraction

Here are some books and websites that can be used to teach addition and subtraction in First grade.                                                                                                                                        

The Mission of Addition. By Brian P. Cleary. Illus. by Brian Gable. (2007). 32p. Millbrook. (9781575058597). Gr.1-2. 

This is a cute book that helps introduce and review addition. The author uses illustrations with cartoon cats to give examples of how addition can be used. He describes vocabulary words such as “add, plus, and equals.” Towards the very end some numbers add up to the 20’s but most of the book works with smaller sums.

Mission: Addition. By Lorren Leedy. Illus. by author (1997). 32p. Holiday House, (978-0823414123). Gr. 1-2.

This book uses a classroom of animal characters to help explain addition facts. The book has 6 different short stories and situations that use addition. For example, the section “Closet Cash” is about a dog who has a yard sale and adds up his earnings. This would be a good book to read with the class and then set out for students to flip through and practice the addition sentences in the stories. The last page has answers to questions asked at the end of each section.

1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions. By David LaRochelle. Illus. by Brenda Sexton. (2010). 32 p. Sterling, (978-1402759956). Gr. 1-2 

A creative book that adds sets of objects such as “one goat and one unicorn equals three horns.” This would be a fun book to read to the class. Kids will enjoy guessing how “1+1=14.” This book could also be used to introduce an activity where students create picture problems. The illustrations have other objects in the background that could be counted as well.

Domino Addition. By Lynette Long, Ph.D. (1996). 32p. Charlesbridge Pub Inc, (978-0881068771). Gr. 1

This is a great book to use before getting started on a lesson that uses dominos to add. The book explains how each side of a domino’s dots are added together and shows a full set of dominoes so that students can see all the different combinations of dots. The book also asks interactive questions such as “Can you find the domino that has a total of zero spots?” A great read aloud book and independent book because even if the student cannot read all of the words they should be able to follow the pictures and numbers in order to practice addition.

Elevator Magic. By Stuart J. Murphy. Illus. by Brian Karas. (1997). 40p. Turtleback, 978-0613049276. Gr. 1

The reader travels with a boy named Ben and his mother down an elevator. Ben uses subtraction to figure out what number floor to hit. As they travel Ben finds unexpected surprises. The back of the book contains ideas for reading the book to students and subtraction activities that can be done at home.

And here are some addition and subtraction websites for kids: 

Learning Games for Kids: Subtraction.  This is a good site for students to practice and review subtraction. Students can choose to play a multiple choice “game show” that quizzes their vocabulary knowledge or they can choose “flash cards” to practice math facts.

Fun For the Brain: Addition. Fun addition games up to the number twelve. Students can choose from a wide variety of themes to satisfy their interests. The game “Deep Diver” takes the player on a deep sea photographer’s adventure where they must add numbers correctly in order to help the photographer take pictures. Students may choose different levels of difficulty. Make sure to check out the other pages to find more creative games including fairies and knights!

Hooda Math: Subtraction (and more!)  This site has several games for practicing subtraction and addition (multiplication and division, too.) Students are prompted to chose the operation they would like to practice. These games would be useful in differentiating at the computer station. Students who need more help with addition may practice addition games while students who want to practice subtraction may play the subtraction version of the same game. The site gives students some variety with themes such as skateboarder challenges to princess clothes.

Monday Math Freebies - Rolling for Fact Families

This week's freebie offers a fun way to practice fact families. Students roll two dice to generate the first two numbers in the family. Then they add to find the third. Once they have these three numbers, they write the addition and subtraction sentences that make up the family.  That's it! This one is simple and fun.

Download Rolling for Fact Families.