Strategic Math Series: ADDITION FACTS 10 to 18 (Susan Peterson Miller, Cecil D. Mercer)

Does adding the bigger numbers, like 8 + 9, make students to break into a cold sweat or send them scurrying to the nurse’s office? If so, provide the skills they need to tackle those math facts; teach them how to add numbers that total up to 18. Using the concrete-representational-abstract method of learning, students learn to really understand what problems like 7 + 8 and 9 + 6 mean. At the concrete level, students count out objects like checkers or sticks to understand that the problem 7 + 8 really means 7 objects being added to 8 objects (or vice versa). Once they have acquired this level of understanding, they move on to the representational level of learning. Here, they create pictures of boxes or circles next to each of the numbers. Finally, they graduate to the abstract level, where they use numbers alone to answer the problem, or, if they’re unable to recall the answer, draw out the problem using tallies. Along the way, students also become proficient solvers of word problems involving addition facts 10 to 18. They also have fun practicing these facts with the colorful “pig dice” that come with the book, and they learn to increase the speed at which they are able to recall these foundational facts.


Please note that professional development, coaching, and infrastructure support are essential components to effective implementation of SIM instructional tools and interventions. It is highly recommended that you work with a SIM professional developer. Please email simpd@ku.edu to learn more.
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