Tips to Increase Addition Fact Fluency with Strategies
Need some tips to sharpen your students' addition fact fluency? When teaching math facts, it's beneficial to teach strategies that extend beyond just memorization.
"Derived fact strategies lead to deeper understanding and long-term retention of number facts compared to rote memorization alone."
The ‘doubles plus one' derived fact strategy is particularly useful for this purpose. In this article, we share four tips to effectively teach this strategy and incorporate it into your classroom activities. First, we'll unpack the concept of the ‘Doubles Plus One' strategy.
What is the Doubles Plus 1 Strategy?
Adding doubles is a mental math strategy that can be used to quickly add numbers. To use this strategy, you take two numbers that are the same and add them together. For example, if you're adding 5 + 5, you would double 5 to get 10.
Read more about developing strong math fact fluency using mental math strategies.
I've got four tips for you to help your little learners master this strategy:
#1: REINFORCE the Doubles Facts
The Doubles Plus 1 strategy will build on the Doubles strategy. Check out tips and resources for reviewing the Doubles here.
One strategy that is especially helpful for addition is the ‘doubles' mental math strategy. This post provides five tips to help teach this strategy and some ideas for reinforcing it in the your classroom. First, let's take a look at what the ‘doubles' mental math strategy is.
#2: TEACH Doubles Plus 1 Strategy the CRA Model & Math Mats
Incorporating the “Doubles Plus One” chant with movements into your teaching offers multifaceted learning benefits for students.
This kinesthetic approach taps into the natural energy and rhythm that young children possess, making the learning process both enjoyable and memorable. As they chant and move, students are not just memorizing facts; they are actively engaging multiple areas of their brain. The physical movements help anchor the math concepts in their muscle memory, enhancing retention, while the rhythmic nature of the chant aids in auditory learning.
The CRA Sequence of Instruction is an instructional model that leads students through 3 essential phases of learning math concepts: Concrete, Representational, and Abstract.
In the above diagram, we can see the ‘Doubles Plus 1' strategy progressing through the CRA model with the help of math mats:
CONCRETE: Students use hands-on, concrete objects.
REPRESENTATIONAL: Students draw shapes, x's, and o's, or tally marks to ‘represent' the concrete objects.
ABSTRACT: Students use numerals and equations to describe the concrete.
Let's take a closer look at using math mats to teach the ‘Doubles Plus 1' strategy.
CONCRETE:
Give the student many opportunities to practice the concept using a variety of manipulatives. We want to ensure students understand the concept in this Concrete phase before moving to the Representational phase.
REPRESENTATIONAL:
Students use the same math mat as was used in the Concrete phase.
Put it in a dry-erase pocket so the mat can be used with many of the ‘Doubles Plus 1' facts.
ABSTRACT:
This math mat makes it easy for your students to visualize the math situation and begin using digits and symbols to represent the ‘Doubles' strategy.
I love using these math mats because they provide the scaffolding that so many of our students need.
#3 Incorporate Chant with Movements
Incorporating the “Doubles Plus One” chant with movements into your teaching offers multifaceted learning benefits for students.
This kinesthetic approach taps into the natural energy and rhythm that young children possess, making the learning process both enjoyable and memorable. As they chant and move, students are not just memorizing facts; they are actively engaging multiple areas of their brain. The physical movements help anchor the math concepts in their muscle memory, enhancing retention, while the rhythmic nature of the chant aids in auditory learning.
If you would like this FREE PowerPoint chant for your classroom – find a download link below.
#4 Tip: DIFFERENTIATE the PRACTICE
Without consistent reinforcement, the math strategies that we teach our students may fade from memory over time, such as when they encounter more advanced mathematical ideas and tasks in the coming years.
Now, let's explore some captivating activities to offer this essential independent practice to your students.
PARTNER GAMES
Each of these games focuses on a specific mental math strategy.
Your learners will be thrilled to dive into these superhero-themed addition strategy games! The enjoyment they experience while practicing not only makes learning more delightful but also accelerates their learning and retention of each strategy!
POKE CARDS
The ‘Doubles Plus 1′ Poke Cards are designed to be self-checking, offering instant feedback to your students, which can help them learn quicker than when feedback is postponed. Use these cards with the provided recording sheets or even without them depending on the needs of your students.
They fit seamlessly into math centers, are great for small group activities, or can be used for partner tasks.
FLASHCARDS
These flashcards are structured around the Part-Part-Whole model to foster an a deeper understanding of number sense!
Many ways to use them:
- WHOLE GROUP: Partners Quiz (see in action)
- SEATWORK
- MATH CENTERS
- SEATWORK
- PARTNER WORK
COLOR-BY-CODE
You can provide superhero-themed, color-by-code activities for each mental math strategy, which allows for differentiated practice that hits the sweet spot for every student.
Check here to learn more about color-by-code practice – and get a free sample!
PRINTABLES
Ready out of the printer, these worksheets are a tool for nurturing number sense, including practice with the Part-Part-Whole model, number families, a puzzle to solve, and a game for engagement.
They work wonderfully for guided practice, math center activities, individual practice, or as homework.
The “Doubles Plus One” addition strategy is a fantastic way to promote math fact fluency among first and second graders. By using engaging tools and tailored activities, you can make learning this strategy enjoyable and effective. Remember, the ultimate goal is to equip your students with a strong understanding of addition that will serve them well as they progress to more complex math concepts in the years to come. Use these tips, and watch your students develop into confident and enthusiastic mathematicians!
Click on the image below and get the FREE Doubles Printables to provide differentiated practice to your students!
The Doubles Plus 1 Chant is also included!
My name is Peggy Means. I am a child of God and a retired elementary teacher. I loved teaching and creating engaging resources for my students. Now, I love sharing my resources and ideas with busy teachers around the world.
