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	<title>mental math Archives - Shelley Gray</title>
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	<title>mental math Archives - Shelley Gray</title>
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		<title>Constant Difference: A Key Mental Math Subtraction Strategy For Quick Calculations</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/constant-difference-mental-math-subtraction-strategy/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/constant-difference-mental-math-subtraction-strategy/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 16:18:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[subtraction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[subtraction strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=14297</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Mental Math is important. The ability to calculate in your head is what allows you to know when you get the wrong change back at the coffee shop, estimate the number of nails you need for a building project, or know which grocery item is the better deal. There are many wonderful mental math strategies [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/constant-difference-mental-math-subtraction-strategy/">Constant Difference: A Key Mental Math Subtraction Strategy For Quick Calculations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
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									Mental Math is important. The ability to calculate in your head is what allows you to know when you get the wrong change back at the coffee shop, estimate the number of nails you need for a building project, or know which grocery item is the better deal. There are many wonderful mental math strategies that are useful in real life and help build our intuition with number, but constant difference has to be one of my favorites.

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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">What is Constant Difference?</h2>				</div>
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									<p>When we use constant difference, we add or subtract the same amount to/from both numbers in a subtraction expression. When we do this, the difference remains constant. For example, 9-5=4. But if we add one to both the 9 and 5, we now have 10-6. The difference is still 4. </p><p>Or we could add 10 to the minuend and subtrahend, to make 19-15, The difference is still 4. </p>								</div>
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															<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14298" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference1.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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															<img decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14299" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference2.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Why Is Constant Difference Useful?</h2>				</div>
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									<p>Imagine being able to solve an expression like 172-98 mentally in just a few seconds! We can easily do this using constant difference. For this example, let&#8217;s add 2 to both. Now we have 174-100. We can solve this simply in our heads!</p>								</div>
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															<img decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14300" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference3.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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									<p>How would you solve this one using constant difference: 386-194?</p><p>I solved it by adding 6 to each, to make 392-200.</p>								</div>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14301" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference4.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Building Conceptual Understanding of Constant Difference: How To Teach This Strategy</h2>				</div>
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									<p>Conceptual understanding of this strategy is essential. We want our students to be able to connect the conceptual understanding to their procedural understanding to ensure that this strategy is not simply a memorized series of steps, but rather an understanding. Here are some of my favorite ways to model this strategy.</p><p> Number lines are an excellent way to show this. In this example, the orange number rod represents the difference, which is 10. That 10 (the difference) is going to stay constant, no matter where we place it on the number line. The picture below shows how we can slide that difference up and down the number line. So 22-12 has the same difference as 23-13, or 24-14, or even 31-21. We can connect this concrete idea to equations, which are more abstract, to help our students develop the understanding behind this strategy.</p>								</div>
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									<p>Another way to think of this is with ages. If we have two people, ages 35 and 12, what is the difference in their ages? It&#8217;s 23 years. Next year, on this exact day, they will be 36 and 13. What is the difference in their ages? Still 23 years! There will always be a 23 year difference between them on this day each year.</p>								</div>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14303" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference6.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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									<p>Another way to model this is through the heights of real people. Try standing two students beside one another and discussing what the difference in their heights is. If they both grow 2 cm, does the difference in their heights change or stay the same? It stays the same! What if only one person grows? The difference in their heights changes. So as long as they both grow the exact same amount the difference in their heights will stay constant.</p>								</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9f73287 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="9f73287" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14304" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference7.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6e6c780 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="6e6c780" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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									<p>One last way to model this is with a concrete manipulative like unifix cubes. Make two towers and ask students what the difference in heights is. Add one block to each tower. Now what&#8217;s the difference? Take two blocks away from each tower &#8211; does the difference stay the same? What if we add a block to only one tower? How does that affect the difference? </p>								</div>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14306" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference9.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14305" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference8.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14307" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference10.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0d35701 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="0d35701" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Considering Different Options</h2>				</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8f346a0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="8f346a0" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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									<p>As with any math strategy, flexibility is key. We don&#8217;t ever want our students to think there is only one way to think about this strategy. Let&#8217;s consider some different ways to use constant difference for this problem: 162-85. I&#8217;ve showed several different options. Which one is most effective for you?</p>								</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a11838d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="a11838d" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14309" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference12.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b465ac1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="b465ac1" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Subtracting a Friendly Number vs Subtracting FROM a Friendly Number</h2>				</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2c48535 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="2c48535" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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									<p>When working with this strategy flexibly, it&#8217;s important to consider whether it&#8217;s more effective to subtract a friendly number or to subtract FROM a friendly number. Which one gives you the least amount of chance for error? Personally, I prefer to make the subtrahend into the friendly number. To me, it&#8217;s easier to subtract a friendly number rather than to subtract from a friendly number. Many students will make the minuend friendly instinctively, but it&#8217;s important to have the conversation to bring students&#8217; attention to the fact that there are other ways to think about it that may be more effective.</p>								</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ecfd926 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="ecfd926" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14313" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Shelley-Gray.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c024028 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="c024028" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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					<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Using Constant Difference to Reduce Chances of Errors</h2>				</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fa0ddb8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="fa0ddb8" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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									<p>We can also use constant difference to reduce the chances of errors when regrouping across zeros (if your curriculum requires your students to learn the standard algorithm). In this example, instead of doing the calculations for 1000-346, we can subtract 1 from each to make 999-345. Now no regrouping is required and the chance of making an error is reduced.</p>								</div>
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				<section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b761295 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-id="b761295" data-element_type="section" data-e-type="section">
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-1024x1024.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-14308" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-600x600.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11-100x100.png 100w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constantdifference11.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />															</div>
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									<p>This is a great strategy to incorporate into your <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/do-you-need-help-with-number-talks-heres-the-quick-start-guide/">number talks routine</a>. Don&#8217;t have a number talks routine yet? <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/do-you-need-help-with-number-talks-heres-the-quick-start-guide/">Here&#8217;s how you can get started.</a></p><p>See this strategy on Instagram below:</p>								</div>
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		<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/constant-difference-mental-math-subtraction-strategy/">Constant Difference: A Key Mental Math Subtraction Strategy For Quick Calculations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<title>Effective Strategies for Teaching Addition Facts</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-addition-facts/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-addition-facts/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2018 16:29:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4306</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>If you find your head spinning when you think about all the addition strategies that you should be teaching, you are certainly not alone. Although teaching addition is one of the most important math concepts that we encounter, it comes with challenges. First of all – time. How do we find the time to do [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-addition-facts/">Effective Strategies for Teaching Addition Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4312" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-1024x536.png" alt="effective mental math strategies for addition" width="810" height="424" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-1024x536.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-800x419.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-300x157.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-768x402.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1-600x314.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdditionBlogFacebook-1.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></p>
<p>If you find your head spinning when you think about all the addition strategies that you should be teaching, you are certainly not alone. Although teaching addition is one of the most important math concepts that we encounter, it comes with challenges.</p>
<p>First of all – time. How do we find the time to do a really good job of teaching the different addition strategies so that our students possess excellent understanding, while also doing a really good job of teaching everything else in our overwhelming curriculum?</p>
<p>Second, differentiation. All of our students learn at different speeds and in different ways. We can’t expect them all to learn the addition facts and strategies at the same time, but how do we ensure that each student is working to his full potential?</p>
<p>One last big challenge is the balance between mental math strategies and memorization. We know that strategies are important. We want our students to UNDERSTAND number, rather that simply memorizing the facts. However, automaticity is important too! How can we reach this balance?</p>
<p>Fortunately, there are specific strategies that we can teach to make addition easier for our students, and accessible for all of them.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Before I begin &#8211; if you are looking for a resource where all of the work is done for you, you may be interested in <strong>The Addition Station</strong>, a self-paced, student-centered math station where students work through the basic addition facts and strategies, mastering each one as they go. Strategies are integrated in a strategic manner, ensuring that students build on their understanding progressively. <b>See <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Addition-Station-Grades-1-2-Combo-Pack-1781356" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Addition Station for Grades 1-2 HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Addition-Station-Grades-3-4-Combo-Pack-1833186" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Addition Station for Grades 3-4 HERE</a>.</b></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Alright, so let&#8217;s talk about addition strategies.</p>
<p><strong>Strategies are ESSENTIAL, for all operations.</strong> We want our students to be able to think flexibly about numbers, and use strategies naturally. This means that understanding is key. Automaticity (quick recall) will naturally follow.</p>
<p>Here are some effective strategies for addition:</p>
<p><strong>Plus 1, 2, 3 and Extensions</strong></p>
<p>In younger grades, we begin with the Plus 1, 2, and 3 facts. We can teach Plus 1 as 1 more, Plus 2 as 2 more, and Plus 3 as 3 more. As our students are ready for more of a challenge, we can <strong>extend</strong> these facts into the tens, hundreds, and even thousands. For example, the fact 7+1 can be extended to 70+10, 700+100, or 7000+1000. Teach your students to look for familiar facts in these bigger problems, so that when they need to solve a fact like 50+20, they think, &#8220;I  know that 5+2=7, so 50+20=70.&#8221; During the extensions, be sure to emphasize place value. For example, we can think of 500+200 as 5 groups of 100 plus 2 groups of 100 to make 7 groups of 100.</p>
<p><strong>Counting On</strong></p>
<p>If students have been working with Plus 1, 2, and 3, they have technically already been working with the counting on strategy. Counting On is an introductory addition strategy that should only be used to add 1, 2, 3, or 4 to a number. Beyond this it gets confusing and can cause errors. To count on, we begin with the higher number and count on. For example, for 17+3, we think, &#8220;17&#8230;18, 19, 20.&#8221; For 2+34, we start with 34 and count on: &#8220;34&#8230;35, 36.&#8221; Dot patterns, ten frames, and number lines are all excellent tools for counting on. <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/counting-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Read more about counting on, and download some free printables to help you HERE.</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/counting-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4157 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3-1.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3-1.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3-1-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3-1-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Extending the Doubles and Near Doubles</strong></p>
<p>The doubles are typically facts that become automatic early on. The near doubles are facts like 4+5, where we encourage students to think, &#8220;I know that 4+4 is 8, and 1 more is 9.&#8221; We can also extend these facts. For example, when a student is faced with 30+30, he can think, &#8220;I know that 3+3 is 6, so 30+30 is 60.&#8221; Again in this level, we encourage students to think in groups of 10, 100, or 1000. For example, 200+200 can be thought of as 2 groups of 100 plus 2 groups of 100. <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Read more about extending the doubles and near doubles, and download some free printables to help you HERE.</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4175 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Plus 7, 8, and 9</strong></p>
<p>When we add 7, 8, or 9 to a number there are a couple of different approaches that we can use. First of all, we can add 10 and then take some away. Alternatively, we can make a 10 and then add the rest. I&#8217;ve discussed both of these approaches in detail in <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/plus-7-8-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">THIS BLOG POST</a>. You&#8217;ll also find some free printables to help you!</p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/plus-7-8-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4193 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/plus789blogpic-1.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/plus789blogpic-1.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/plus789blogpic-1-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/plus789blogpic-1-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Left-to-Right Addition</strong></p>
<p>Left-to-right addition (also known as front-end addition or the partial sums method) is one of the most powerful mental math strategies for teaching addition of 2 or 3-digit numbers. However, many people are confused by why it is important and why it can be more effective than traditional vertical addition.</p>
<p>With left-to-right addition we add from left to right. So in a two-digit equation we add the tens first and then the ones. For example for 25+34 we first add 20+30 to make 50, then 5+4 to make 9, and then 50+9 to make the final sum of 59.</p>
<p>For a detailed explanation and rationalization of this strategy, as well as free printables to help you teach it, please see <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>THIS POST.</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4205 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Using Friendly Numbers</strong></p>
<p>A friendly number is a number that is easy to work with. For example, multiples of 10 are “friendly” because they are easy to work with when we add or subtract.</p>
<p>When we use the “friendly number” strategy for addition, it helps us work with big numbers. This is because we are essentially breaking the equation up into more manageable parts.</p>
<p>We begin by getting to a friendly number, which is typically a multiple of 10, 100, or 100 – depending on the numbers that we are working with. Then we add on the remainder.</p>
<p>For example, for the equation 27+9, we could first get to the friendly number 30 by adding 3, and then add the remaining 6 to make 36.</p>
<p>For a complete, detailed explanation of the friendly number strategy for addition, as well as some free printables to help you, please <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">see THIS POST</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4257 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Breaking Up An Addend</strong></p>
<p>Breaking up, or decomposing, an addend is a fantastic mental math strategy for addition that can be used in many different circumstances. This strategy involves breaking up one of the numbers in an equation into more manageable parts. Like many other mental math strategies, this encourages students to think flexibly and to manipulate numbers in different ways. This is the big goal of mental math!</p>
<p>For a detailed explanation of this strategy as well as free printables to help you teach it, please <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">see THIS POST.</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4227 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/7.png" alt="breaking up the second number addition strategy" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/7.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/7-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Compensation</strong></p>
<p>Compensation is a mental math strategy for multi-digit addition that involves adjusting one of the addends to make the equation easier to solve. Some students may prefer this strategy as an alternative to <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">left-to-right addition</a> or the <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">breaking up the second number strategy</a>.</p>
<p>Compensation is a useful strategy for making equations easier to solve. More importantly, it encourages students to think flexibly about numbers.</p>
<p>Let’s solve the equation 34+49 using the compensation strategy.</p>
<p>First, since 49 is so close to 50, we will add 34+50. This is easier to solve. Then, since we added one extra to the original equation, we have to subtract one from the final answer.</p>
<p>To see a more detailed explanation of this strategy, and download some free printables to teach it, please <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">see THIS POST</a>.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4321" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9.png" alt="" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<p>Ready to get really strategic with your approach to teaching math facts?</p>
<ul>
<li>Implement <strong>The Addition Station</strong> &#8211; a self-paced, student-centered program for the basic addition facts and strategies (see <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Addition-Station-Grades-1-2-Combo-Pack-1781356" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grades 1-2 HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Addition-Station-Grades-3-4-Combo-Pack-1833186" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grades 3-4 HERE</a>).</li>
<li>Try out <strong>Addition Strategies Task Cards</strong> as a way for your students to practice each addition strategy in isolation. See the full bundle for <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategies-Task-Cards-First-Grade-Bundle-Sums-to-20-3778137" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1st Grade,</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategies-Task-Cards-Second-Grade-Bundle-Sums-to-100-3778278" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2nd grade,</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategies-Task-Cards-Third-Grade-Bundle-Sums-to-1000-3837382" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3rd grade</a>, or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategies-Task-Cards-Fourth-Grade-Bundle-Sums-to-10000-3860513" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4th grade</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4325" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="375" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/additionwithsumsto100taskcardsSecondPic.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-addition-facts/">Effective Strategies for Teaching Addition Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4306</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Using Friendly Numbers: An Addition Strategy</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friendly numbers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[using friendly numbers]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4249</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#160; WHAT IS A FRIENDLY NUMBER? In this case, we refer to friendly numbers as a number that is easy to work with. For example, multiples of 10 are &#8220;friendly&#8221; because they are easy to work with when we add or subtract. &#160; USING FRIENDLY NUMBERS AS AN ADDITION STRATEGY When we use the &#8220;friendly [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/">Using Friendly Numbers: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4250" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-1024x536.png" alt="friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="810" height="424" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-1024x536.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-800x419.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-300x157.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-768x402.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb-600x314.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersblogfb.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>WHAT IS A FRIENDLY NUMBER?</strong></p>
<p>In this case, we refer to friendly numbers as a number that is easy to work with. For example, multiples of 10 are &#8220;friendly&#8221; because they are easy to work with when we add or subtract.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>USING FRIENDLY NUMBERS AS AN ADDITION STRATEGY</strong></p>
<p>When we use the &#8220;friendly number&#8221; strategy for addition, it helps us work with big numbers. This is because we are essentially breaking the equation up into more manageable parts.</p>
<p>We begin by getting to a friendly number, which is typically a multiple of 10, 100, or 100 &#8211; depending on the numbers that we are working with. Then we add on the remainder.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at the &#8220;using friendly numbers&#8221; addition strategy in action.</p>
<p><strong>EXAMPLES</strong></p>
<p>In this example we will add 27+9 using the friendly number strategy.</p>
<p>First, let&#8217;s put the number 27 on our empty number line.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4262" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/14.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/14.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/14-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/14-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>Now let&#8217;s get to a friendly number. We know that the number 30 is &#8220;friendly&#8221; or easy to work with, so we can add 3 to get to 30.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4260" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>Lastly, we add the remaining 6 and get our answer of 36.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4257" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>Suppose we are solving 265+18.</p>
<p>First we will write 265 on our empty number line.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4261" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/13.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/13.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/13-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/13-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>Then we can add 5 from the 18 to get to a friendly number 270.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4259" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>We have 13 left, so now we can simply add the 13 to the 270 to get a final answer of 283.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4256" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/9.png" alt="using friendly numbers mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/9.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/9-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/9-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>BIG IDEAS</strong></p>
<p>Mental Math is not about following a one size fits all process or procedure. Mental Math involves being able to think flexibly about numbers and manipulate them in different ways.</p>
<p>For the equations shown above, this friendly number strategy worked well. But students also could have used l<a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eft to right addition</a>, <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">breaking up the a</a><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">n addend</a>, <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">compensation</a>, or even the <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/plus-7-8-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plus 7,8,9 strategy</a>.</p>
<p>Our goal is to teach our students to think flexibly about numbers so that mental computation comes easily to them.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Download a free activity to practice the using friendly numbers addition strategy <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/friendlynumbersfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4258 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-5.png" alt="" width="500" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-5.png 500w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-5-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Find task cards to reinforce the &#8220;using friendly numbers&#8221; strategy here:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Using-Friendly-Numbers-Fourth-3860874" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Using Friendly Numbers task cards for fourth grade</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Using-Friendly-Numbers-Third-Grade-3837636" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Using Friendly Numbers task cards for third grade</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4355" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="375" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/usingfriendlynumberstaskcardsthirdpic-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/using-friendly-numbers/">Using Friendly Numbers: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4249</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Compensation: An Addition Strategy</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:31:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensation strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4238</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Compensation is a mental math strategy for multi-digit addition that involves adjusting one of the addends to make the equation easier to solve. Some students may prefer this strategy as an alternative to left-to-right addition or the breaking up the second number strategy. Compensation is a useful strategy for making equations easier to solve. More [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/">Compensation: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4239" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-1024x536.png" alt="compensation mental math strategy" width="810" height="424" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-1024x536.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-800x419.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-300x157.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-768x402.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog-600x314.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfbblog.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></p>
<p>Compensation is a mental math strategy for multi-digit addition that involves adjusting one of the addends to make the equation easier to solve. Some students may prefer this strategy as an alternative to <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left-to-right addition</a> or the <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breaking up the second number strategy</a>.</p>
<p>Compensation is a useful strategy for making equations easier to solve. More importantly, it encourages students to think flexibly about numbers.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>HOW TO PERFORM THE COMPENSATION STRATEGY</strong></p>
<p>Let&#8217;s solve the equation 34+49 using the compensation strategy.</p>
<p>First, since 49 is so close to 50, we will add 34+50. This is easier to solve. Then, since we added one extra to the original equation, we have to subtract one from the final answer.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4321" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9.png" alt="" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s suppose that we want to solve the equation 132+64. We can use compensation to add these two numbers. With compensation, there is no one right way to perform the strategy. In this case, let&#8217;s begin by taking 4 away from the 64 and add 132+60 to make 192. This is an easy equation to solve. Now, since we subtracted 4 from the original equation, we have to add 4 to the answer. 192+4=196.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4322" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/10.png" alt="" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/10.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/10-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you would like full support for teaching addition strategies in your classroom, check out The Addition Station <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelley-Gray/Category/-MATH-STATIONS-213182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a>.  These Math Stations are self-paced, student-centered stations for the basic math strategies. Students move through the levels at their own pace, ensuring that they are always challenged, and working to their full potential.</li>
<li>Read other posts on this website about addition strategies <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/latest-posts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE.</a></li>
<li>Download a FREE activity for practicing the compensation strategy <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/compensationfreebie.pdf"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4247 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-4.png" alt="" width="500" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-4.png 500w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-4-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/compensation/">Compensation: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4238</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Breaking Apart An Addend: An Addition Strategy</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2018 18:15:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breaking up the second number]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4217</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#160; Breaking apart an addend is a mental math strategy for addition. Some students may find this method more efficient than left-to-right addition. This strategy involves breaking up one addend in an equation into more manageable parts. Like many other mental math strategies, this strategy encourages students to think flexibly and to manipulate numbers in [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/">Breaking Apart An Addend: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Breaking apart an addend is a mental math strategy for addition. Some students may find this method more efficient than <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">left-to-right addition</a>.</p>
<p>This strategy involves breaking up one addend in an equation into more manageable parts. Like many other mental math strategies, this strategy encourages students to think flexibly and to manipulate numbers in different ways. This is the big goal of mental math!</p>
<p>As you look at the examples given, you&#8217;ll notice that this strategy reinforces place value understanding, as students are breaking apart the addend by place value.</p>
<p><strong>EXAMPLES</strong></p>
<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at how to perform this strategy. Whenever you introduce a new strategy in your classroom, be sure to use small, easy to work with numbers. This will ensure that students can focus on the strategy itself rather than struggling with big numbers while trying to master a new strategy.</p>
<p>In this example, we will add 14+12. We will break the 12 into a 10 and a 2.</p>
<p>Now we add. First we add 14+10 to make 24, and then add the remaining 2 to make 26.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4226" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6.png" alt="breaking up the second number addition strategy" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s try another example. Here we will solve 35+46. First we break the 46 into a 40 and a 6.</p>
<p>We will add 35+40 to make 75, and then add the remaining 6 to make 81.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4225" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5.png" alt="breaking up the second number addition strategy" width="300" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>FLEXIBLE THINKING</strong></p>
<p>One of the greatest aspects of mental math is that there is not a series of steps to memorize. Really we just want our students to understand what the numbers mean and be able to manipulate them in a way that works for each individual student.</p>
<p>Suppose we have the equation 213+214.</p>
<p>One student might choose to break up the second number and add 213+200+10+4.</p>
<p>Another student might choose to break up the second number into only two parts and add 200+210+4.</p>
<p>A third student might choose to add these numbers using left to right addition.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4228" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8.png" alt="breaking up the second number addition strategy" width="500" height="667" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a video with more information on how you can teach the break apart strategy using the <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/concrete-representational-abstract-model/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Concrete Representational Abstract model</a>:</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qNQ1hVhNvs0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This is one strategy that you definitely will want to incorporate into your math instruction. It can be used in many different ways and you will notice that your students begin using this sort of thinking for other math concepts as well.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you would like full support for teaching this strategy, find my Break Apart for Addition Unit HERE.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Break-Apart-Decomposing-for-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-5766645"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-10886 aligncenter" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1.jpeg" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1.jpeg 1687w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1-800x800.jpeg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Download a FREE activity for practicing the breaking up an addend <strong><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/breakupsecondnumberfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/breakupsecondnumberfreebie.pdf"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4234 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-3.png" alt="breaking up the second number addition strategy" width="500" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-3.png 500w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-3-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/breaking-up-the-second-number/">Breaking Apart An Addend: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4217</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Try Left to Right Addition: A Powerful Mental Math Strategy</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2018 19:39:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[left to right addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4190</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Left-to-right addition (also known as front-end addition or the partial sums method) is one of the most powerful mental math strategies for teaching addition of 2 or 3-digit numbers. However, many people are confused by why it is important and why it can be more effective than traditional vertical addition. WHY IS LEFT TO RIGHT [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/">Try Left to Right Addition: A Powerful Mental Math Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4192" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-1024x536.png" alt="left to right addition strategy" width="810" height="424" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-1024x536.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-800x419.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-300x157.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-768x402.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1-600x314.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FacebookBlog-1.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></p>
<p>Left-to-right addition (also known as front-end addition or the partial sums method) is one of the most powerful mental math strategies for teaching addition of 2 or 3-digit numbers. However, many people are confused by why it is important and why it can be more effective than traditional vertical addition.</p>
<h2><strong>WHY IS LEFT TO RIGHT ADDITION SO EFFECTIVE?</strong></h2>
<p>The best part about left to right addition is that this strategy promotes real understanding.</p>
<p>When you solve an equation using the standard algorithm (probably the way that you learned to add multi-digit numbers), you use a series of steps. This includes adding the ones first, carrying if needed, then adding the tens, carrying if needed, etc. These steps are committed to your memory, and for those who have excellent memorization skills, this can be effective.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, the standard algorithm does not encourage understanding of<strong> place value and number sense. </strong>This is the main reason that today&#8217;s math instruction tends to shy away from the traditional algorithm in early grades. We want our students to possess REAL understanding of what they are doing. When students are taught methods that encourage mental math, they are able to think more flexibly not only about this isolated concept, but about other math concepts as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12028" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3.png" alt="left to right addition unit" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic3-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<div></div>
<h2><strong>EXAMPLES</strong></h2>
<div>Let&#8217;s take a look at some examples of left-to-right addition in action.</div>
<div></div>
<div>In this example we are adding 25+34. First, we add the tens: 20+30, to make 50. Then we add the ones: 5+4, to make 9. Lastly, we add 50+9 to make 59. Although this may look confusing written out as it is, this process happens very quickly once a student understands the process &#8211; typically this can be solved in a couple of seconds at the most.</div>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4205" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic.png" alt="" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Left to right addition is also effective for adding 3-digit plus 3-digit numbers. In this example, we can see that we add the hundreds first, then the tens, and then the ones. Lastly, we add all of those sums together.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4204" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-1.png" alt="left to right addition mental math addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-1.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-1-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightblogpic-1-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<div>When students perform addition this way, they develop a good understanding of place value and what it really means. For example, in the expression shown above, students see the &#8220;1&#8221; in 147 as a 100, and not just a 1. The &#8220;4&#8221; in 147 is understood as a 40, and not just a 4. This is essential knowledge if we want our students to become efficient mathematicians.</div>
<div></div>
<p><break><br />
</break></p>
<div><strong>Related: <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-addition-strategies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Try these Mental Math Addition Strategies to Boost Fact Fluency</a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<p><break><br />
</break></p>
<h2>The CRA Model for Mental Math Strategies</h2>
<div>Whenever we teach math strategies, it&#8217;s important to teach them in a way that enhances conceptual understanding. The <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/concrete-representational-abstract-model/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Concrete Representational Abstract model</a> is an excellent instructional model for this. In the video below, I&#8217;ll talk more about how left to right addition can be taught using the CRA model.</div>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQbhqeG75CM" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div></div>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you would like full support for teaching addition strategies in your classroom, check out <strong>The Addition Station <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelley-Gray/Category/-MATH-STATIONS-213182" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>. </strong>You&#8217;ll find the left to right addition strategy in the Addition Stations for the upper grades. These Math Stations are self-paced, student-centered stations for the basic math strategies. Students move through the levels at their own pace, ensuring that they are always challenged, and working to their full potential.</li>
<li>Read other posts on this website about addition strategies <strong><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-addition-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE.</a></strong></li>
<li>Download a FREE activity for practicing the left to right addition strategy <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditionfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HERE.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditionfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4208 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-2.png" alt="" width="500" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-2.png 500w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blogfreebie-2-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Check out a Left to Right Addition Strategy Unit&#8221;<strong> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Front-End-Addition-a-Mental-Math-Strategy-Unit-155697" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10853" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1.jpeg" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1.jpeg 1687w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Slide1-800x800.jpeg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12038" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4.png" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right4-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12039" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2.png" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/left-to-right-pic2-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li> Find task cards to reinforce the left-to-right addition strategy in isolation here:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Left-to-Right-Addition-Sums-to-100-SECOND-GRADE-3806161" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Left-to-right addition task cards for second grade</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Left-to-Right-Addition-Third-Grade-3837645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Left-to-right addition task cards for third grade</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Left-to-Right-Addition-Fourth-Grade-3860887" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Left-to-right addition task cards for fourth grade</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4346" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-1024x768.jpeg" alt="left to right addition task cards" width="500" height="375" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lefttorightadditiontaskcardssecondpic.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/left-right-addition/">Try Left to Right Addition: A Powerful Mental Math Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4190</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Extending The Doubles and Near Doubles Facts: An Addition Strategy</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2018 12:56:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doubles facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=4169</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The doubles facts are generally an introductory set of facts that we want our students to become automatic with. We can relate the doubles to so many things around us &#8211;  fingers and toes: 5+5, wheels on a car : 2+2, or the eggs in a carton: 6+6. Our goal for the doubles facts is automaticity. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/">Extending The Doubles and Near Doubles Facts: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4174" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-1024x536.png" alt="extending the doubles facts addition strategy" width="810" height="424" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-1024x536.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-800x419.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-300x157.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-768x402.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4-600x314.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ExtendingDoublesFacebookBlog-4.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></p>
<p>The doubles facts are generally an introductory set of facts that we want our students to become automatic with. We can relate the doubles to so many things around us &#8211;  fingers and toes: 5+5, wheels on a car : 2+2, or the eggs in a carton: 6+6.</p>
<p>Our goal for the doubles facts is automaticity. This means that students no longer have to think much about the equation in order to solve it. Rather, they just &#8220;know&#8221; the answer and are able to say the answer within 1-3 seconds. For example, when a student sees the equation 8+8, he should know that it equals 16 without even stopping to think about it.</p>
<p>Building a strong foundation of doubles will help students with other mental math strategies, particularly the near doubles.</p>
<p>Near doubles involve facts like 4+5. To solve this fact, our students can think, &#8220;I know that 4+4=8, and 1 more is 9.&#8221;</p>
<p>The goal with the near doubles facts is to build relationships and form connections between facts. We can achieve this by using manipulatives regularly.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a video that will explain this in more detail:</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJdhHdlPKp8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Teaching the doubles and near doubles facts is important, but it shouldn&#8217;t stop simply with the numbers to 12. We need to extend these facts into tens and hundreds as well, and teach our students how we can still use the doubles and near doubles facts in order to solve equations with these bigger numbers.</p>
<p>For example we can use the fact 3+3 to solve 30+30 or the fact 6+6 to solve 60+60=___.</p>
<p><strong>FOCUS ON GROUPS OF 10</strong></p>
<p>To begin teaching students to extend the doubles and near doubles facts, focus on groups of 10. For example, we can think of 40+40 as <em>4 groups of 10 plus 4 groups of 10</em>. Similarly, to solve 400+400 we can think, <em>&#8220;4 groups of 100 plus 4 groups of 100.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4176" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-1.png" alt="extending the doubles facts addition strategy" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-1.png 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-1-300x200.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesblogpic-1-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p><strong>EXTENDING THIS CONCEPT TO OTHER MATH STRATEGIES</strong></p>
<p>This &#8220;extending&#8221; concept can be used in many other circumstances. For example, when teaching your students the plus 1 facts, teach them to extend that knowledge past simple 1-digit numbers. For example, if we know 8+1, then we can easily figure out 80+10 or 800+100.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you would like full support for teaching addition strategies in your classroom, check out <strong>The Addition Station</strong> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelley-Gray/Category/-MATH-STATIONS-213182" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</li>
<li>Get full support with the Near Doubles strategy with <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Near-Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152649" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this complete unit</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Near-Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152649"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10889" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1.jpeg" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1.jpeg 1687w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Slide1-800x800.jpeg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Download a FREE activity sheet for practicing the <strong>extending the doubles facts</strong> strategy <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE.</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/extendingdoublesfreebie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4179 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/blogfreebie.png" alt="extending the doubles facts for addition" width="500" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/blogfreebie.png 500w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/blogfreebie-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Find task cards to reinforce the extending the doubles strategy here:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Doubles-Facts-and-Extensions-Fourth-Grade-3860693" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Doubles and extensions task cards for fourth grade</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-Doubles-and-Extensions-Third-Grade-3837558" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Doubles and extensions task cards for third grade</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4339" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-300x225.jpeg" alt="extending the doubles task cards" width="500" height="375" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardsfourthpic-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Find task cards to reinforce the doubles addition facts <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-The-Doubles-Sums-to-24-3778239" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>:</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Task-Cards-The-Doubles-Sums-to-24-3778239" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4343" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="375" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/doublestaskcardspic-1.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/extending-the-doubles/">Extending The Doubles and Near Doubles Facts: An Addition Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4169</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Partial Quotients: an alternative for traditional long division</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/partial-quotients-alternative-traditional-long-division/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/partial-quotients-alternative-traditional-long-division/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jan 2018 05:25:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[division]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[division strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[partial quotients]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=3777</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Long division is often considered one of the most challenging topics to teach. Luckily, there are strategies that we can teach to make multi-digit division easier to understand and perform. The Partial Quotients method is one of these strategies. It is a mental math based approach that will enhance number sense understanding. Students solve the equation by [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/partial-quotients-alternative-traditional-long-division/">Partial Quotients: an alternative for traditional long division</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3781 size-full" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotientsblogpic.png" alt="" width="800" height="500" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotientsblogpic.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotientsblogpic-300x188.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotientsblogpic-768x480.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotientsblogpic-600x375.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>Long division is often considered one of the most challenging topics to teach. Luckily, there are strategies that we can teach to make multi-digit division easier to understand and perform.</p>
<p>The <strong>Partial Quotients method </strong>is one of these strategies. It is a mental math based approach that will enhance number sense understanding. Students solve the equation by subtracting multiples until they get down to 0, or as close to 0 as possible.</p>
<p>If you would like to try this strategy in your classroom, you may want to start with the <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/box-area-method-alternative-traditional-long-division/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box Method/Area Model</a>, which you can <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/box-area-method-alternative-traditional-long-division/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read more about HERE</a>. The Box Method uses the same approach as Partial Quotients, but is organized differently and works well as an introduction.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s learn how to perform the Partial Quotients strategy for long division!</strong></p>
<p>Below, I have included both a video tutorial and step-by-step instructions.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>VIDEO TUTORIAL</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IHKlPJ7y9ow" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS</strong></p>
<p>Suppose that we want to solve the equation 324÷2.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP 1:</strong><br />
Write the equation as shown below.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3798" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo2.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo2.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo2-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo2-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo2-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP 2:</strong><br />
Now it is time to start figuring out how many groups of 2 will fit into 324. We want to use numbers that are easy to work with, so we try to use friendly numbers like 10, 100, etc. We know that at least 100 groups of 2 fit into 324, so let&#8217;s start with that. We write x100 on the right side to symbolize that we are taking out 100 groups. 100 groups of 2 makes 200, so we subtract 200 from 324. This leaves us with 124.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3799" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo3.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo3.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo3-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo3-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo3-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP 3:</strong><br />
Now we need to figure out how many more groups of 2 we can make from 124. We know that we can make at least 50 more groups. We write x50 on the right side to symbolize the 50 groups of 2. 50 groups of 2 makes 100, so we take 100 away from 124 and we are left with 24.<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3801" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo5.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo5.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo5-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo5-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo5-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP 4:</strong><br />
How many more groups of 2 can we make from 24? We know that we can make 12 more groups, so we write x12 on the right side. 12 groups of 2 makes 24, so we take away 24. We are left with 0, which means that we do not have a remainder.<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3800" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo4.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo4.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo4-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo4-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo4-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STEP 4:</strong><br />
To find our quotient, we add up the three <strong>partial quotients</strong>. In this case, we add 100+50+12 to make 162. So 324÷2=162.<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3806" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo6-1.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo6-1.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo6-1-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo6-1-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquo6-1-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Here&#8217;s one more example. Let&#8217;s solve 679÷5:</strong><br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3804" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotients1-1.png" alt="" width="800" height="400" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotients1-1.png 800w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotients1-1-300x150.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotients1-1-768x384.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/partialquotients1-1-600x300.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p>We know that there are at least 100 groups of 5 in 679, so we wrote x100. We then subtract 100 groups of 5, or 500, from the 679, and we are left with 179.</p>
<p>We know that there are at least 30 more groups of 5 in 179. 30 groups of 5 makes 150, so we subtract 150 from 179 and are left with 29.</p>
<p>We know that there are at least 5 more groups of 5 in 29. 5 groups of 5 makes 25, so we subtract 25 from 29 and are left with 4.</p>
<p>We cannot make any more groups of 5 out of 4, so 4 is our remainder.</p>
<p>To find our quotient, we add the partial quotients (100+30+5) plus the remainder 4, to make 135 R4.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR THE PARTIAL QUOTIENTS STRATEGY FOR DIVISION</strong></p>
<p>I would love to help you teach the partial quotients strategy for long division in your classroom. You may find the following resources helpful:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>PARTIAL QUOTIENTS TASK CARDS</strong></p>
<p>These <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Long-Division-Task-Cards-The-Partial-Quotients-Strategy-3580302">task cards</a> give students the opportunity to practice the partial quotients strategy for long division in a variety of different ways. Students will calculate quotients, solve division problems, figure out missing dividends and divisors, think about how to efficiently solve an equation using the partial quotients strategy, and more. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Long-Division-Task-Cards-The-Partial-Quotients-Strategy-3580302">See the Partial Quotients Task Cards HERE</a> or the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Long-Division-Task-Cards-The-Big-Bundle-Growing-Bundle-3580272" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Bundle of Long Division Task Cards HERE</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Long-Division-Task-Cards-The-Partial-Quotients-Strategy-3580302"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3811" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PartialQuotientsTaskCardsPREVIEWthumbs-2.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="550" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PartialQuotientsTaskCardsPREVIEWthumbs-2.jpg 720w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PartialQuotientsTaskCardsPREVIEWthumbs-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PartialQuotientsTaskCardsPREVIEWthumbs-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PartialQuotientsTaskCardsPREVIEWthumbs-2-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>THE LONG DIVISION STATION</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Long-Division-Station-self-paced-student-centered-3552960" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Long Division Station</a> is a self-paced, student-centered math station for long division. Students gradually learn a variety of strategies for long division, the partial quotients strategy being one of them. One of the greatest advantages to this Math Station is that is allows you to target every student and their unique abilities so that everyone is appropriately challenged. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Long-Division-Station-self-paced-student-centered-3552960" target="_blank" rel="noopener">See The Long Division Station HERE.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Long-Division-Station-self-paced-student-centered-3552960" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3758" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1-1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="550" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1-1.jpg 720w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1-1-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelley-Gray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OR SEE ALL RESOURCES HERE.</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/partial-quotients-alternative-traditional-long-division/">Partial Quotients: an alternative for traditional long division</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">3777</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Effective Mental Math Addition Strategies to Master the Addition Facts</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-mental-math-addition-strategies/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-mental-math-addition-strategies/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2015 20:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://shelleygrayteaching.com/?p=1785</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>So you&#8217;re ready to implement mental math addition strategies this year, but aren&#8217;t sure where to start! All the different ways to teach addition facts can be overwhelming &#8211; counting on, doubles, left-to-right addition, breaking apart numbers, and so much more &#8211; how can you teach these mental math concepts strategically so that more of your students [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-mental-math-addition-strategies/">Effective Mental Math Addition Strategies to Master the Addition Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
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															<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1000" height="600" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mental-Math-Addition-Strategies-header.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-image-12871" alt="" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mental-Math-Addition-Strategies-header.png 1000w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mental-Math-Addition-Strategies-header-300x180.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mental-Math-Addition-Strategies-header-768x461.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mental-Math-Addition-Strategies-header-800x480.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />															</div>
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									<p><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );">So you&#8217;re ready to implement mental math addition strategies this year, but aren&#8217;t sure where to start! All the different ways to teach addition facts can be overwhelming &#8211; counting on, doubles, left-to-right addition, breaking apart numbers, and so much more &#8211; how can you </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;">teach these mental math concepts strategically</span><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );"> so that more of your students can develop </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;">addition and subtraction fact fluency</span><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );">?</span></p><p><i>Can&#8217;t we just teach our students to memorize?</i></p><p>The short answer is no, and my hope is that by the time you get to the end of this article you&#8217;ll see why mental math strategies are so essential to the overall math understanding of our students.</p><p>First, it&#8217;s important to understand the rationale behind mental math. Why is it important to teach these different strategies rather than simply teaching students to memorize the facts?</p><div> </div>								</div>
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									<h2>What is Mental Math?</h2><div>Mental Math is simply solving a math problem mentally using a conceptual understanding of number. Interestingly enough, many people who are naturally good mathematicians use mental math naturally, even if they have never been taught the specific strategies. </div><p> </p><p>So what does this mean? Let&#8217;s illustrate it with two different students &#8211; one who uses memorization, and another who has been exposed to mental math strategies.</p><p> </p>								</div>
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									<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">STUDENT #1</span></p><p>This student is knows that 16+4=20 because she has practiced this fact over and over and over again. </p><p>When the teacher asks her to solve 16+5, she&#8217;s stumped. This is a fact she hasn&#8217;t learned yet.</p><p>After moving on to other math units and focusing less on addition, the fact 16+4 is forgotten and will have to be re-learned next year.</p>								</div>
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									<p><b>STUDENT #2</b></p><p>This next student hasn&#8217;t learned the fact 16+4 yet, but can easily figure it out because he knows that 6+4 is ten and then 10 more is 20.</p><p>When the teacher asks him to solve 16+5, he is easily able to visualize it because of all the work their class has done with ten frames. He already knows that 16+4=20, so 16+5 is just one more!</p>								</div>
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									<p>Then he thinks of one other way he could have solved it! He imagines the 16 as a 10 and a 6. He adds the 6 to the 5, which is a doubles plus one fact (11) and then adds on the remaining 10 to make 21.</p><p><i>Opponents of mental math will say this is too confusing, but I&#8217;ve simply written it all out so that you can see the steps that happen in a person&#8217;s head very quickly. This does not need to be written out like this every time.</i></p>								</div>
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									<p>This student has developed <b>flexible thinking</b> because of being exposed to mental math strategies. He will be able to use this exact same thinking to solve a problem like 126+15 in mere seconds.</p>
<p>The best part is that he has also developed <b>confidence</b>. He knows that he doesn&#8217;t have to rely on simply remembering the facts he&#8217;s been taught.&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Instead, he possesses something much greater &#8211; understanding.</b></p>								</div>
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									<h2>Understanding is a Gift</h2><p>This might sound cheesy, but I wholeheartedly believe it. When you teach in a way that promotes real understanding, you are giving your students a gift.</p><p>It breaks my heart when I hear students say, &#8220;I&#8217;m not good at math because I&#8217;m not fast,&#8221; or &#8220;I can&#8217;t do math.&#8221;</p><p>The truth is that when math is taught mostly for memorization, there are SO MANY STUDENTS being left behind because they cannot grasp the content in that way. This can cause fear of math, math anxiety, and low confidence.</p><p>So what can we do? </p>								</div>
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									<h2>Getting Started with Mental Math</h2><div> When you begin teaching mental math, it can feel overwhelming. Which strategies do you teach? How do you teach them? How do you tie them all together? When should you move onto subtraction from addition?<br /><br /></div><p>There is no right answer to any of these questions. It will depend on your class, their unique needs, and their previous experience with mental math.</p><p>That being said, here are some of my top tips for getting started with teaching math strategies.</p>								</div>
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									<h2>Step 1: Take on the Role of Facilitator Instead of Teacher</h2><p>We can learn so much by simply listening to students. This is a mindset shift for many teachers because it feels different than what we&#8217;re used to! When you talk about math with your students, let them explain their thinking without jumping in to course correct them or reinforce the strategy that you used personally. </p>								</div>
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									<h2>Step 2: Use Visuals and Manipulatives</h2><div>Time to get those manipulatives out of the closet and put them to work! Kids need to SEE math in order to UNDERSTAND it. When we don&#8217;t use manipulatives, we leave a large portion of our students behind. </div><p> </p><p>If the thought of using manipulatives feels intimidating, just let kids explore with them for awhile. Ask questions like, <b>&#8220;What are some different ways we could show 15+15 with these base ten blocks? Could we show it another way?&#8221;</b></p><p>You might just be amazed at what they come up with!</p><p> </p>								</div>
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									<h2>Step 3: Ask, &#8220;How else could we solve this?&#8221;</h2><div>This is one of the key questions to show students how math is flexible. There is never one right way to solve a math problem. Rather, we can think, reason, and strategize in many different ways.</div><p> </p><p>Try having an exploration session with different types of manipulatives like ten frames, base ten blocks, rekenreks, and cubes. Give students a problem to solve and challenge them to solve it in as many ways as possible. Have students share their thinking to introduce other students to alternative strategies and ways of thinking.</p>								</div>
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									<h2>Step 4: Focus on Connections</h2><div>Connections are one of the most powerful concepts you can implement to help students build their math fact understanding. For example, if 15+15=30, then we know that 16+15 is one more. </div><div> </div><p><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );">If we know that 16+15=31, then we know that 26+15 is 10 more. This can be made visual by using base ten blocks.</span></p><p>26+15 is 41, then 126+15 is 100 more.</p><p><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );">Rather than simply solving a problem and leaving it at that, try to connect it to something new. This is the concept behind number strings, which I will elaborate on in another post. </span></p><div> </div>								</div>
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						MENTAL MATH ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION STRATEGIES					</h2>
				
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						SO YOUR STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION FACT FLUENCY					</div>
				
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									<h2>Mental Math Strategies</h2><div>We&#8217;ve talked about why mental math is important, we&#8217;ve talked about how to get started teaching mental math. Now it&#8217;s time for <strong>the actual strategies.</strong></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>Mental math strategies don&#8217;t necessarily have to be something that you explicitly teach. <span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );">The goal in our classrooms should not necessarily be to &#8220;teach&#8221; the strategies, but rather to foster an environment where students construct their own understanding. We want to be careful that we don&#8217;t teach the strategies as pieces of information to memorize. Instead, we want students to be able to think flexibly when solving problems.</span></p><p>This being said, it can be useful to have a guide for some of the most useful strategies so that you have an idea of where you are heading. </p><p> That&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve done the research and broken it down into the seven most useful mental math addition strategies. These range from beginning strategies to more advanced, and will help your students develop true fact fluency. Read on to learn about each one!</p><p><b style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;"><i>Or, if you&#8217;d rather have all the work done for you, I&#8217;ve created extensive teaching resources for each of these strategies that include strategy posters, conceptual worksheets, station activities, math talks, and much more. <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-strategy-units/">See more about those units HERE.</a></i></b></p><p> </p><h2><b>THE ADDITION STRATEGIES</b></h2><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Counting On</span></h3><p>Counting On is a beginning mental math strategy.  When you <b>count on,</b> you start with the biggest number in an equation, and then count up. For example, to solve 5+3, you start with the &#8220;5&#8221; and then count up, &#8220;6, 7, 8.&#8221; This is to discourage students from counting like, &#8220;1, 2, 3, 4, 5&#8230;..6, 7, 8.&#8221; Students also need to understand the commutative property of addition, where if an expression looks like this: &#8220;2+6,&#8221; they still should start with the bigger number (in this case, 6) and count up &#8220;7, 8.&#8221;</p><p>Here&#8217;s a video to explain this strategy in more depth, or find a unit for teaching the counting on strategy <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counting-On-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152643" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</p><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Htm1-VbmksY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><p> </p><div><h3><b>Doubles</b></h3><p>The doubles are not necessarily a , but rather a set of facts that is easy to learn and remember. Doubles are all around us; think of fingers and toes &#8211; 5+5, wheels on a car &#8211; 2+2, or the eggs in a carton &#8211; 6+6. Building a strong foundation of doubles will help students with the next strategy, Doubles Plus One.</p></div><p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152645"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic.png" alt="mental math strategies" width="600" height="600" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;">Find a unit for teaching the doubles facts <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</div><p> </p><div><h3> </h3></div>								</div>
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									<div><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Near Doubles</span></h3><p>This strategy is a natural progression from the doubles. It includes using a known fact and building on it. For example, to solve 6+7, a student could think, &#8220;I know that 6+6 makes 12, and one more makes 13.&#8221; This strategy is best modelled with ten frames, which makes it easy to see! Students need to SEE math so they can build their understanding!</p></div><p> </p><div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the near doubles strategy in more depth or find a unit for teaching the near doubles facts <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Near-Doubles-Addition-Strategy-Mental-Math-Strategies-152649">HERE</a>.</div><p><iframe style="width: 795px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJdhHdlPKp8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><div> </div><p> </p><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make a Ten</span></h3><p>Make a Ten is a mental math strategy where students use the number combinations that make ten to form connections and relationships to other facts. First, students must learn the number combinations that make 10. Then they can confidently use those combinations. For example, to solve 8+5, a student might think, “I can take two from the 5 and give it to the 8 to make a ten, and then add the leftover 3 to make 13.” Ten frames are a fantastic way to illustrate this strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the make a ten strategy in more depth.</p><p><iframe style="width: 795px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zeana4bqFrk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><p> </p><p>Find a unit for teaching make a ten <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-a-Ten-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152653" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE </a>or find the math mats shown below <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></a></p><p> </p><div><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Making Multiples of Ten</span></h3><p>This strategy is a natural follow-up to making ten. To make , we can use the number combinations that make ten (6+4, 7+3, etc.). This helps us recognize that expressions such as 26+4 will make a multiple of ten. Ten frames are an excellent way to model the thinking process. For example, when we model 26+4 with a ten frame, it’s easy to see that we can shift the 4 dots over to completely fill three ten frames and make 30.</p></div><p> </p><div><p>Find a unit for teaching the making multiples of ten strategy <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Making-Multiples-of-Ten-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155695" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</p></div><div><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Left to Right Addition</span></h3><p>Left-to-right addition is a powerful mental math strategy for adding numbers with two or more digits. Place value understanding is key, as students will be grouping the tens and then the ones. For example, to solve 24+53, we will first add 20+50 to make 70, then 4+3 to make 7, and finally 70+7 to make 77. Left-to-right addition is important to teach BEFORE students learn the traditional algorithm. This is because left-to-right addition focuses on conceptual understanding rather than on the memorization of a series of steps.</p></div><div> </div><div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains left to right addition in more depth.</div><p> </p><p><iframe style="width: 795px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQbhqeG75CM" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><div>Find a unit for teaching left to right addition <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic.png" alt="mental math strategies" width="600" height="600" /></a></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4.png" alt="mental math addition strategies" width="600" height="600" /></a></div><p> </p><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></div><div><h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">Break Apart/Decomposing</span></h3><p>Breaking apart an addend by place value is a powerful mental math strategy for adding numbers with two or more digits. Although this is similar to left-to-right addition, some students prefer it because only one addend is decomposed by place value, rather than both of them. For example, to solve 43+35, we could first decompose the 35 into 30 and 5. We start by adding 43+30 to make 73, then the remaining 5 to make 78.</p></div><p> </p><div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the break apart strategy in more depth.</div><p><iframe style="width: 795px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qNQ1hVhNvs0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p><p>Find a unit for teaching break apart <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Break-Apart-Decomposing-for-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-5766645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</p>								</div>
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									<p> </p><h2>IN CLOSING</h2><p>One of the greatest advantages of teaching your students mental math is that it teaches them to be flexible thinkers. When we only focus our math instruction on the traditional algorithms (carrying, borrowing, etc), we teach students to memorize a series of steps. If they forget those steps, they don&#8217;t know how to solve the problem. Mental math ensures that even if steps are forgotten, we possess the understanding that enables us to figure out the answer.</p><p>Math is not just a series of steps.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mental Math is real understanding.</span> </p><p> </p>								</div>
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				The Best Way to Teach Multiplication Facts: 12 Steps to True Understanding			</a>
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		<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/effective-mental-math-addition-strategies/">Effective Mental Math Addition Strategies to Master the Addition Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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		<title>Try These Mental Math Addition Strategies to Boost Math Fact Fluency</title>
		<link>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-addition-strategies/</link>
					<comments>https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-addition-strategies/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shelley Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental math]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost/?p=47</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Math fact fluency is much more than simply speed and accuracy. True fluency also includes flexibility and appropriate strategy use. We can help students become flexible thinkers who are able to build their own understanding by reinforcing mental math addition strategies. We know that being able to think flexibly is more effective than memorization for [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-addition-strategies/">Try These Mental Math Addition Strategies to Boost Math Fact Fluency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Math fact fluency is much more than simply speed and accuracy. <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/math-fact-fluency-meaning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">True fluency</a> also includes flexibility and appropriate strategy use. We can help students become flexible thinkers who are able to build their own understanding by reinforcing mental math addition strategies.</p>
<p>We know that being able to think flexibly is more effective than memorization for math facts. This has been studied in depth by many different math researchers. But sometimes what happens when we begin to teach strategies, is that we &#8220;teach&#8221; the strategies for memorization. For example, &#8220;Whenever you see numbers that differ by 1, you can use the doubles plus one strategy.&#8221; Rather than &#8220;teaching&#8221; the strategies, ideally we want students to discover them and construct their own understanding. The best way to do this is through lots and lots of work with manipulatives. And yes, even if you teach upper grades your students can benefit from manipulatives!</p>
<p>However, sometimes it&#8217;s still nice to have a guide for what strategies to steer our students toward.</p>
<h2>Seven Different Mental Math Addition Strategies</h2>
<p>Below I have outlined seven different different mental math addition strategies that you can model in your classroom to help students build their understanding. I have also included videos and additional resources for some of them.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Counting On</span> &#8211; Counting On is a beginning mental math strategy.  <strong>Counting on</strong> means that you start with the biggest number in an equation, and then count up. For example, in the equation 5+3, you want students to start with the &#8220;5&#8221; in their heads, and then count up, &#8220;6, 7, 8.&#8221; This is to discourage students from counting like, &#8220;1, 2, 3, 4, 5&#8230;..6, 7, 8.&#8221; Students also need to understand the commutative property of addition, where if an equation looks like this: &#8220;2+6,&#8221; they still should start with the bigger number (in this case, 6) and count up &#8220;7, 8.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a video that will explain this strategy in more depth, or find a unit for teaching the counting on strategy <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counting-On-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152643" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Htm1-VbmksY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><b>Doubles</b> &#8211; The doubles are not necessarily a <em>strategy</em>, but rather a set of facts that is easy to learn and remember. Doubles are all around us; think of fingers and toes &#8211; 5+5, wheels on a car &#8211; 2+2, or the eggs in a carton &#8211; 6+6. Building a strong foundation of doubles will help students with the next strategy, Doubles Plus One.</div>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152645"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12014" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic.png" alt="mental math strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-pic-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152645"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12015" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2.png" alt="mental math strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Find a unit for teaching the doubles facts <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doubles-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><strong>Near Doubles</strong> &#8211; This strategy is a natural progression from the doubles. It includes using a known fact and building on it. For example, to solve 5+6, a student could think, &#8220;I know that 5+5 makes 10, and one more makes 11.&#8221; This strategy is best modelled with ten frames, which makes it so easy to see! And remember, we have to give our students the opportunity to SEE math so that they can build their understanding!</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the near doubles strategy in more depth or find a unit for teaching the near doubles facts HERE.</div>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJdhHdlPKp8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Make a Ten &#8211; </strong>Make a Ten is a mental math strategy where students use the number combinations that make ten to form connections and relationships to other facts. First, students must learn the number combinations that make 10. Then, they can confidently use those combinations. For example, to solve 8+5, a student might think, “I can take two from the 5 and give it to the 8 to make a ten, and then add the leftover 3 to make 13.” Ten frames are a fantastic way to illustrate this strategy.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the make a ten strategy in more depth.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zeana4bqFrk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Find a unit for teaching make a ten <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-a-Ten-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-152653" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE </a>or find the math mats shown below <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12017" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Math-Mats-Make-a-Ten-Addition-Strategy-CRA-Model-7454866"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12018" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/make-a-ten-CRA2-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><b>Making Multiples of Ten</b> &#8211; This strategy is a natural follow-up to making ten. To make <strong>multiples of ten</strong>, we can use the number combinations that make ten (6+4, 7+3, etc.). This helps us recognize that expressions such as 26+4 will make a multiple of ten. Ten frames are an excellent way to model the thinking process. For example, when we model 26+4 with a ten frame, it’s easy to see that we can shift the 4 dots over to completely fill three ten frames and make 30.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div>Find a unit for teaching the making multiples of ten strategy <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Making-Multiples-of-Ten-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155695" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><strong>Left to Right Addition</strong> &#8211; Left-to-right addition is a powerful mental math strategy for adding numbers with two or more digits. Place value understanding is key, as students will be grouping the tens and then the ones. For example, to solve 24+53, we will first add 20+50 to make 70, then 4+3 to make 7, and finally 70+7 to make 77. Left-to-right addition is important to teach BEFORE students learn the traditional algorithm. This is because left-to-right addition focuses on conceptual understanding rather than on the memorization of a series of steps.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains left to right addition in more depth.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQbhqeG75CM" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div>Find a unit for teaching left to right addition <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</div>
<div></div>
<div><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12019" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic.png" alt="mental math strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right-pic-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></div>
<div></div>
<div><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Left-to-Right-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-155697"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12020" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4.png" alt="mental math addition strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/left-to-right4-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><strong>Break Apart/Decomposing</strong> &#8211; Breaking apart an addend by place value is a powerful mental math strategy for adding numbers with two or more digits. Although this is similar to left-to-right addition, some students prefer it because only one addend is decomposed by place value, rather than both of them. For example, to solve 43+35, we could first decompose the 35 into 30 and 5. We start by adding 43+30 to make 73, then the remaining 5 to make 78.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div>Here&#8217;s a video that explains the break apart strategy in more depth.</div>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qNQ1hVhNvs0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Find a unit for teaching break apart <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Break-Apart-Decomposing-for-Addition-Mental-Math-Addition-Strategy-Unit-5766645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I hope this post has helped you make a plan for teaching math strategies in your classroom! I know that if you did not learn this way, it is not an easy transition.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;d like more support for teaching addition strategies in the classroom, check out the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mental-Math-ADDITION-Strategy-Units-BUNDLE-166682" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mental Math Addition Strategy Bundle</a> that includes units for all of the strategies that were discussed above (photos of contents below).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mental-Math-ADDITION-Strategy-Units-BUNDLE-166682"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12021" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic.png" alt="mental math addition strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mental-Math-ADDITION-Strategy-Units-BUNDLE-166682"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12022" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-pic2-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mental-Math-ADDITION-Strategy-Units-BUNDLE-166682"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12023" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture.png" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/counting-on-picture-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mental-Math-ADDITION-Strategy-Units-BUNDLE-166682"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12024" src="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1.png" alt="mental math addition strategies" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1.png 1080w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1-300x300.png 300w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1-150x150.png 150w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1-768x768.png 768w, https://shelleygrayteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/doubles-2-1-800x800.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com/mental-math-addition-strategies/">Try These Mental Math Addition Strategies to Boost Math Fact Fluency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://shelleygrayteaching.com">Shelley Gray</a>.</p>
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