Thursday, May 24, 2012

Addition Fact Fluency and FREEBIES!!

Hello Friends!,
This is a long one, but hang in there...I have 2 freebies waiting for you at the bottom!! I wanted to take some time today to talk about getting your students to learn their addition facts fluently. I'm sure like many schools, our second grade teachers like our first graders to come in with a strong foundation of addition facts memorized from 0-10. As a first grade teacher, this can be hard to achieve at times. However, I  began this system in my classroom quite a few years ago & it has been very successful! It's called "Racing Through the Facts". I begin this the last 2 months of school once math begins winding down. I cut a race track out of black butcher paper and section it off 0-10 with white crayon. Here is an example:
I apologize for the blurry pictures. The reflection of the light was not cooperating, but hopefully you get the idea! Here are some closer pictures of sections of the race track...

I used clip art from Scrappin' Doodles to create race car icons for the race track. I add a small address label with their name on it. Before we begin the race track, I send home an addition table with all of the addition facts from 0-10 so the students can practice with their parents. All of the students begin on 0. I give them a 20 question drill based on what number they are on. They have 1 minute to complete it. If they get 80% correct (which is 16/20), they get to move on. I started off many years ago trying to have them get them all finished before moving on, but that proved to be a bit difficult, so I have found that this modification has worked better for my students. Once they get through all of the facts 0-10, I give them a certificate and a prize.
I have seen a lot of growth from my students with this kit. They are so enthusiastic about the race track & I feel like they are better prepared going into 2nd grade for the harder math that awaits them.
Side note: I firmly tell my students before beginning the "Racing Through the Facts" that they are not to tease or make fun of anyone during this friendly competition. They are warned that they will start over if they do so. Needless to say, I have never had any issues with this.
I know that you may have seen some similar variations of drill competitions out there. I wanted to share what works best for me & share my kit with you if you are interested. It includes a picture of my race track, a parent letter, 0-10 drills, clip art to use for your students ( in color and in black & white if you want your students to color their own cars), and certificates of completion for boy & girl.
Click HERE to get this for FREE from my TPT store!!

And here is another short I word sort FREEBIE that I created for you also:
Click HERE to get this from my TPT store!
Have a wonderful evening!,

7 comments:

  1. very cute!! Can you email me at mrsdeannedavis@hotmail.com so I can get you your Whack-A-Word? :) I couldn't find contact info on your blog, sorry if I overlooked it.

    įƒ¦DeAnne
    First Grade and Fabulous

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  2. Loveeeee your blog and just became your newest follower!

    Blessings,

    Jessica Stanford
    Mrs. Stanford's Class Blog is Having a Giveaway!
    My TpT Store

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  3. Love, love, love the addition fact freebie! I saw that you visited my blog and so I hopped over here to check yours out. I am proud to say I am your newest follower and I look forward to sharing ideas with you!
    Patti :)
    A Series of 3rd Grade Events

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  4. I love the 'racing through the facts' activity! I use something kind of similar in my class.


    Emily
    Tangled with Teaching

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  5. Love the addition fact freebie!! A great way to work on fluency with those facts!
    Robynn
    BusyBees

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  6. I just found your awesome blog and just became your newest follower. Thanks for the freebies. They will be great to start the year off.
    Barbara
    happyteachingfirst.blogspot.com

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  7. Thank you for leaving a comment and your link on my post! I'm your newest follower!

    I can't wait to scroll through your site :-).
    ReadWriteSing

    ReplyDelete