Math facts should be a daily homework requirement for your student this school year. I think doing it for 15 mins 2-3 times a day (or more) works best. It will be on every monthly homework assignment sheet and will be assessed/graded weekly. Knowing your math facts is the single most important thing your child can learn this school year in math. Unfortunately, it is predominantly a "rote" learning process (repetitive and kind of boring). It is the MOST important thing you can help your child achieve in math this year. When students achieve "MASTERY" [for 1st and or 2nd grade] they will be awarded the "MATHLETES" certificate.
"WHY does my child need to do this? Why should they care?". I get this question every year from parents and here is the "why" behind it. Your student will not be able to develop strong number sense (mental thought process) nor be able to develop the thinking (what to do and why [algebraic thinking] if they use all their thinking "power" to simply figure out a basic rote addition or subtraction question. Most problems will not be 1 step problems anymore. They will be 2 or 3 steps and they can't achieve success if all their mental capacity is focused on a basic addition or subtraction "rote" math fact.
student: "Uh - let me see 2 fingers and 4 more fingers is ?????? - Let me put up my fingers and count. Daddy showed me that when I was in Kindergarten. Oh yeah I can do that. Okay here are my 4 fingers and there are my other 2 fingers, let me count them again. 1,2,3,4,5,6. Mr Tevlin the answer is 6.
Mr Tevlin: "What is 6?" "6 what?"
student: "I don't know Mr Tevlin, I forgot the problem" [ because you forgot the question and the thinking process as a result of not knowing your basic "rote" math facts]
Please take my advice and work regularly to have your child master their math facts.
A. Xtra Math (is a free available app to advance your child's math facts and be ready for 2nd grade)
Your student will access the Xtra Math learning program through Clever. There is a QR code used to gain access to Clever. Your student's QR code was sent home in an email (marked "IMPORTANT - KEEP THIS E-MAIL - Clever QR Code" dated 8-11-25. If you did not bookmark the e-mail, or print out the code, search for it using that information
Print ou the QR Code and keep it handy, you will need it all year long. The students have a laminated one to use in school.
C. "Old School"
You can make the flash cards on index cards yourself or buy them; however, I want them VERTICALLY WRITTEN (up and down, not side to side)
ADDITION:
1st (sums to 5) 0+0, 0+1, 0+2, 0+3, 0+4, 0+5, 1+0, 1+1, 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+0, 2+1, 2+2, 2+3, 3+0, 3+1, 3+2, 4+0, 4+1, 0+5, 5+0 (this was required from Kindergarten)
2nd (sums to7) in additon to the KINDER math facts add these new math facts 1+5, 1+6, 2+4, 2+5, 3+3, 3+4, 4+2, 4+3, 5+1, 5+2, 6+0, 6+1, 0+6 7+0, 0+7
3rd (sums to 10) in additon to the sums to 7, add these new math facts: 0+8, 0+9, 0+10, 1+7, 1+8, 1+9, 2+6, 2+7, 2+8, 3+5, 3+6, 3+7, 4+4, 4+5, 4+6, 5+3, 5+4, 5+5, 6+2, 6+3, 6+4, 7+1, 7+2, 7+3, 8+0, 8+1, 8+2, 9+0, 9+1, 10+0
4th (sums to 14, 2nd grade) in addition to sums to 10 add these new facts: 9+2, 9+3, 9+4, 9+5, 8+3, 8+4, 8+5, 8+6, 7+4, 7+5, 7+6, 7+7, 6+5, 6+6, 6+7, 6+8, 5+6, 5+7, 5+8, 5+9, 4+7, 4+8, 4+9, 3+8, 3+9,
5th (single digit sums - 2nd grade) in addition to sums to 14, add these new facts: 9+6, 9+7, 9+9, 9+9, 8+7, 8+8, 8+9, 7+8, 7+9, 6+9
SUBTRACTION
subtraction from 5 - 5-0, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 4-3, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0, 3-3, 3-2, 3-1, 3-0, 2-2, 2-1, 2-0
subtraction from 7 - in addition to the Kinder subtraction math facts, add these new math facts 7-0, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-7, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0,
subtraction from 10 - in addition to the intermediate (1st grade) math facts from 7, add these new math facts: 10-0, 10-9, 10-8, 10-7, 10-6, 10-5, 10-4, 10-3, 10-2, 10-1, 10-10, 9-9, 9-8, 9-7, 9-6, 9-5, 9-4, 9-3, 9-2, 9-1, 9-0, 8-8, 8-7, 8-6, 8-5, 8-4, 8-3, 8-2, 8-1, 8-0
Subtraction from 14 - in additon to subtraction from 10 add these facts: 14-9, 14-8, 14-7, 14-6, 14-5, 13-9, 13-8, 13-7, 13-6, 13-5, 13-4, 12-9, 12-8, 12-7, 12-6, 12-5, 12-4, 12-3, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3, 11-2,
Subtraction (from all single digit sums) 18-9, 17-9, 17-8, 16-9, 16-8, 16-7, 15-9, 15-8, 15-7, 15-6,
SUCCESS IN MATH FACTS IS WHEN THE STUDENT CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION (math fact question) IN AN AVERAGE OF UNDER 4 SECONDS.
Keep practicing until you average under 4 seconds.
Counting and Cardinality Builder. If I sent home a Counting and Cardinality Builder Set with your student it is because they don't know their numbers fluently and are at risk of falling well behind their peers in Elementary School. Counting and Cardinality is when you KNOW the numbers (without seeing them) and can state 1 more, 1 less, 10 more, 10 less in your head (without using printed hundred charts or cuing). Please use the link below to help understand how to build this learning tool I sent home with your student. There are not worksheets that will teach this. You need to sit with your child and make this happen.
Counting & Cardinality Builder Instructions (click this link for video instruction on how to use this learnign tool)