How Do We Approach Fact Fluency at MHS?

What can you expect in your child’s classroom at MHS when it comes to fact fluency?

We have a balanced approach to fact fluency, we work to help students develop conceptual understanding first. Once the student has conceptual understanding we then engage the student fact practice in a systematic way.

As you know, fact fluency is vital to students ability to move forward in mathematics understanding. Your student has been working in the classroom to master facts but more importantly to conceptually understand how numbers relate.

First, it is important to note and reiterate that there are many misconceptions about fact fluency in our nation. Being fluent, means more than just being good at a timed fact test! In fact, it has very little to do with timed tests.

Students in K-3 have conceptually developed number understanding through the use of activities such as Number Talks and Number Splats. These are strategies which help them to think flexibly and creatively about numbers.

Once your student demonstrates flexibility with numbers and has multiple methods of solving an addition and subtraction problem, it is appropriate to practice facts. Facts should never be practiced without focusing on strategies, for examples doubles facts, near doubles facts, etc. We encourage continued use of the practice cards students used in the classroom this year, number talks, number splats and any activities that promote flexible thinking in when combining or subtracting numbers over the summer.

Please note that it is not appropriate and is even detrimental to introduce any formal algorithms (how to regroup when adding double-digit numbers for example) for adding and subtracting for students in K-1 at point in your student's math journey. Students in grades 2-3 should only be introduced to the formal algorithms after they have demonstrated flexibility with numbers. Students should be led to discover the algorithm so that they can make meaning of it rather than just being shown.