Addition/Subtraction Facts: Singapore Approach

Physical fact cards that complement this app are also available. Four levels of addition and subtraction cards are available for purchase at www.numbersmatter123.com.

For students who have mastered their addition and subtraction facts, please see our other app, Multiplication/Division Facts: Singapore Approach.

This program is designed to help students attain mastery of their addition and subtraction facts for sums through 20.

* Why is this important?

Students must have mastery (automatic recall) of their math facts to free up their working memory so that they can focus on harder problem solving processes. In order for students to be confident and successful in math, they must learn their math facts.

* What is mastery or automatic recall of math facts?

A student has automatic recall of a fact when he or she has practiced enough, using effective strategies, to able to produce a correct answer immediately. The student knows the fact automatically (without having to think) and no longer needs a strategy to figure it out. The goal is for the student to be able to automatically recall every fact like he or she knows that “1 + 1 = 2”. Without thinking!

A student has mastery of an arithmetic level when he or she has automatic recall of all facts within the arithmetic level.

* How are these fact cards different than other fact or “flash” cards?

-Not just the answers on the back! Self-teaching, strategy-based solutions on the back of each card for students, parents, and teachers
-Based on the Jerome Bruner instructional approach of teaching math in sequence from the concrete (manipulatives) stage to the pictorial (drawing) stage to the abstract (symbols) stage for meaningful understanding
-Pictorial solutions to help the child visualize the process of by breaking the problem into easier steps
-Two or three step problem solving processes that improve visualization skills, working memory capacity and sequential processing skills, all of which are critical for solving word problems and for overall achievement in all academic areas, not just math.
-Multiple strategies modeled so that the student can learn the easiest, fastest, and most accurate strategies for a given class of problems. For example, the “counting on” strategy is effective for adding 1, 2, or 3 to a number but is slow and inefficient when adding more than 3 to a number. The student will often use fingers because there are too many steps to hold in working memory!
-No more rote memorization without understanding the process!
-No more guessing!
-No more fingers!
-No timed practice!

* Is the program results-based?

Yes! For several years it has been used successfully in schools for grade level, advanced, special needs and intervention instruction. It has also been used in math tutoring sessions and summer math programs to catch up students who have fallen behind in learning math facts as quickly as possible. It has been proven to work for ALL kinds of learners.

However, it is important that the parent or teacher understand that this application is based on the methodology of teaching from the concrete to pictures to abstract stages. Students must progress through all stages and cannot skip the concrete stage to go directly to these picture-based fact cards. It is highly recommended that the adult read the fact coaching tips included in this application.

Like all technology, this application is a teaching tool that requires adult supervision and instruction for it to be appropriate and effective.

* Where does the student start?

Students should progress through the arithmetic levels in the following sequence:

1. Addition through 10
2. Subtraction through 10
3. Addition through 20
4. Subtraction through 20

Student must have mastery (automatic recall of all facts) of prior arithmetic levels before progressing to the next arithmetic level.