There’s a hill that I will die on. That hill involves not needing long drawn-out assessments to get an understanding of how well students are doing in math. Simple and short quizzes are the way to go and what I recommend when you’re wondering how to practice mastering math facts and assess fact fluency in students.
Mastering math facts is important because it helps to build fluency, confidence, understanding of operations and numbers, usage of mental math, and a host of other essential math skills. So it is a major part of your teaching process.
Simplifying the process and creating a solid assessment plan will make teaching and practicing math facts seamless. Here’s an easy plan you can follow.
Daily practice is key when it comes to mastering math facts. Consider setting aside a daily practice routine that includes reviewing, practicing, and assessing math facts. Short and focused fact fluency sessions are most effective!
During this time you may want to use flashcards, fact drills, partner games, or quick fact quizzes to reinforce the facts regularly.
Quick fact quizzes are a great way to assess your students and control the timing and personalization of their learning path. The length of time you dedicate to this will vary greatly and is hugely affected by what your students need.
You can start with a minute but if you see that a minute is stressing students out, make adjustments. If you see that students are finishing way before time is up, make adjustments! Be flexible and you’ll go far.
To up the ante, turn your math facts mastery sessions into a themed challenge toward a goal. A unique theme that I’ve implemented is Fact Master Ninjas!
As students complete quizzes, each level earns them a “belt” toward being a ninja fact master. Kid-friendly themes help build excitement and create a balance between rigorous learning and fun. The bonus is increased engagement!
Students learn and achieve at different paces when it comes to mastering math facts. Provide opportunities for personalized learning paths without causing too much of a headache for yourself.
This allows students to focus on the facts at a pace that works for them.
Implementing a tracking system will greatly benefit you as a teacher. One way to achieve this is to keep a file folder of math fact mastery. Each student has a small card with the different fact categories.
When students have shown mastery, you mark this down in their folder. As they complete a timed quiz, you will color in that fact to show completion.
A quick flip of the card will tell you which level each student is working on!
Students like to keep track of their progress as well. Using a simple punch card will allow students to know which fact they need to focus on next. As soon as they master a math fact, students give themselves a hole punch!
This allows them to take ownership of their learning. They can look back at what they’ve accomplished so far and look forward to what they have left to learn.
But it doesn’t stop there. Students greatly benefit from incentives to keep their learning going. It helps to avoid feelings of dread or boredom when they have something to look forward to once they’ve completed a task.
Getting student buy-in is half the battle! Pumping students up to take quizzes may seem impossible, but it’s not! A craft is a wonderful way to build excitement. For example, students can make themselves as Ninja Fact Masters when using the Ninja of math facts theme.
As students master a level, they add the belt for the level mastered. The goal is to become a Black Belt in Fact Mastery! (Much like ninjas in karate, students get to earn their way to the top.)
After all that fact practice, students deserve a celebration! Mastering math facts is a huge accomplishment for students.
A fun way to mark their mastery is to provide each student with a certificate of completion. Along with their fact belts and ninja craft, students will reap the rewards of their hard work.
Beyond the tangible awards, students’ confidence in math will skyrocket! They will have built a strong foundation in basic facts leading to a successful transition as they tackle more difficult math concepts in the future.
As mentioned above, I believe that playing math games is a crucial component of mastering math facts. I have a FREE and EDITABLE math game that can be used with addition, multiplication, and more! Students toss poms onto their game-mat. Then, students add, multiply, subtract, etc. the numbers that they landed on!
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
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