Math: You did WHAT with a number bond?!
Updated: Mar 4, 2021
I've already posted a lot about number bonds and how awesome they are. These were new to me as an educator, but I wish I would of had them as a student. Some benefits of number bonds are:
- They help students see the part/whole relationship of operations.
- They don't limit students to one fact. You can actually find an entire fact family.
- They help students see that numbers are made of other numbers.
When working on fact fluency, I have created some number bond flash cards. My students each have a laminated set in their pencil box. (You can get your very own FREE set right here.) Previously, I've used them to have students recall their facts, but I have found that I needed some more activities to do with my students. I especially wanted to find activities that would hit students at all levels of fluency and address concrete and pictorial representations.
Do you see the different ways students are engaging in numbers? Students are able to manipulate numbers, which will help them be flexible with numbers as they begin more complicated operations. And it's one simple card that can yield multiple activities! No need to have 3 different activities for the three levels of fluency. I can have one card with multiple variations! What a time saver!
All of these activities come from a FREE webinar on developing fluency with addition and subtraction facts. Research has shown that students who have fluency in addition and subtraction have a much easier time with other operations. In fact, when students are struggling in other operations, I tend to coach teachers to check on a student's basic number sense.
We can't rely only on memorization to help students become fluent. Some students just don't have the working memory to hold all that in their head. Other students are struggling to remember their facts over summer break or even short holiday breaks. When they don't use it, they might lose it. What if we could teach facts in a way that helped students to play with numbers and see patterns? What if students were able to visualize numbers in their head and do mental math well?
Check out my FREE webinar here! Learn how to assess math facts in a way that makes sense and cuts down on grading. Don't forget to snatch the 20 activities (89 pages!) of differentiated games that are ready to print and go from my shop! No longer do you have to search Pinterest trying to find great games! Use games that have been tested on a variety of students and shown to increase fluency!
As I mentioned, don't forget to check out my FREE webinar for more information! I would love to hear how you implement any strategies in your classroom!
