Fact Fluency
Most adults probably remember spending a fair amount of time using flash cards to memorize their math facts and taking timed tests to prove they knew them. The goal was automaticity, remembering our facts as quickly as possible. We learned our facts for quick retrieval in elementary school with no connections made to our future use of those facts in high school.
Quickly recalling math facts is still an important goal for our elementary students, and students still sort their math fact cards into piles of those that they remember easily and those they are still working on mastering. While the goal of remembering the answers to those math fact problems remains, the way students learn their facts and how they use their knowledge about math facts has changed.
Keep checking this page for more information about how we will be using our math facts this year.
Multiplication by Heart - Multiplication Practice Online
Third and fourth grade teachers have started using this resource with their students. These digital multiplication cards are an online version of a deck of multiplication fact cards developed by the team at Math for Love.
The deck is separated into sections which relate to the progression of how students learn about the concept of multiplication. The sections move from equal groups, which represent repeated addition and skip counting, to arrays which tie into third grade work with multiplication and area, and eventually students see visual representations of prime and composite numbers which connects to their work in fourth grade.
The emphasis is on spaced repetition related to visual images, without the pressure of time. When students miss an answer the program prompts them with a clue to give them a chance to try again. If the problem is missed again, the correct answer is given. The program keeps track of where students leave off, so students can work on the facts they need.
IM K-5 Math & Fluency
The following link provides more information about how our math curriculum addresses fact fluency during classroom instruction.
Fluency Development Within and Across the Grades
If you would like to learn more about fact fluency development and fluency with addition and subtraction algorithms in grades 2-5 please click on the images below.
Fact fluency
Fluency with Algorithms - Grades 2-5
