Dear Parents,
This is to inform you about a tool that we will be utilizing to assess students’ progress in their knowledge of math facts.
The Common Core Standard requires the students to add and subtract through twenty. They should be able to add/subtract instantly without the aid of a number line, fingers, counters or rulers; true “Mental math.” To help the children achieve mastery of addition and subtraction facts they will now be tested on their knowledge of math facts through quick practice drill assessments known as "Mad Minutes." Students are given one minute to complete thirty addition or subtraction facts. The score each child achieves is based upon the number of correct answers BEFORE the first blank or error. Children need to master their "stumpers" and can not skip around on the Mad Minutes. If they are permitted to pick and choose the facts that they want to complete, it will deter their mastery of all facts.
We anticipate administering these quick assessments 1 to 2’xs weekly. At the end of the marking period, the top three scores will be averaged for a test score. It is imperative that your child be practicing these facts on a regular basis at home. Students must continue to practice their addition and subtraction facts 3-4 times each week to become proficient. Please refer to our classroom website and the attached papers for additional information on how to best help your son or daughter as well as several websites that we recommend for practice.
With your support, we can work together to help your child achieve their full potential. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions pertaining to the above. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Mrs. McGee
Why memorize?
Being able to recall basic facts quickly is an important math skill. Not only will it make basic computation, (addition and subtraction) easier to solve, but it also aids in mental computation and estimation.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Various strategies for quick recall of facts are taught at each grade level. Some students can easily memorize facts. Other students need extra practice in order to recall basic fact answers. The majority of students need a lot of practice to learn their facts.
How much practice?
This is the million dollar question. The easy answer would be to say “as much practice as your child needs” to learn the facts well enough for quick recall. A more important consideration is the frequency of practice. If a child only practices once a week, very little long term learning will take place. On the other hand, practicing everyday can be too tedious. Practicing 3 to 4 times per week for about 5 minutes each session will certainly make a difference in your child’s ability to recall facts quickly.
What kind of practice?
Flashcards are a great resource. Your child should not work with a whole set of flashcards at one time. This is too overwhelming. Pick five cards that your child knows and mix them with five facts that they don’t know. Practice with these ten cards until they know all ten facts. Then replace the first five cards with five new facts, and so on, until your child can recall the answers quickly. Your child will end up with two groups of cards: “Facts I know” and “Facts I don’t know.” Practicing like this for five minutes 3 to 4 times per week can really make a difference. Also try posting a “fact of the day” on the refrigerator. Each time your child passes by, they should give the answer.
Hand held math fact games or computer games/web sites are also great ways to practice math facts. Listed below are various math sites that may be helpful in the math fact adventure
If you have a favorite website or app, please share!!
http://www.mathfactcafe.com
http://mrnussbaum.com/speedmath/
http://www.mathplayground.com
http://www.aplusmath.com
http://www.aaamath.com/add.htm#topic6 **MY FAVORITE!!
http://www.funbrain.com/