Kindergarten Students have things to learn before memorizing Addition Facts
There are two Learning Tracks in the Rocket Math Online Tutor that can help kindergarteners get ready for memorizing Addition Facts in the first grade. Before doing addition students have to be able to count items and match the name of the number with its representation–that’s Counting and Subitizing. The other skills they need to develop are the understanding of addition as adding two groups of objects along with the skill of “counting on” from a number other than one–that’s Conceptual Addition.
Counting and Subitizing is the first Kindergarten Learning Track.
Counting and Subitizing begins by teaching students what number of objects they are seeing and showing them where to tap that number on the keyboard. The first time each screen is introduced (and whenever there is a hesitation or an error), the Online Tutor tell the student the answer. Here’s what the Online Tutor says for this screen. “This shows 4 cars. Tap the 4.” You can see that the number 4 is outlined on the keyboard so students learn which numeral is 4.
Each numeral from zero to 12 is taught on many screens. Each numeral is represented by several different kinds of objects including cars, trees, ducks, chickens, pennies, pencils, hashmarks, dice and fingers.
Corrections in the Online Tutor are very robust.
The Online Tutor tells and shows the answer, then tells the student, “Your turn.” The student is shown the correct number to tap the first time, and then is shown the picture without the correct number being outlined to answer a second time. Then a different problem is shown and the student has to answer that. Then the Online Tutor goes back to the item missed and asks the student again. After interspersing with another screen the missed item is tested a third time.
Online Tutor Teaches the concept of zero.
Uniquely, the Counting and Subitizing Learning Track also teaches the concept of zero. Here’s what the Online Tutor tells students for the picture to the left, “This shows no fingers, zero fingers. Tap the zero.” While saying that, the Online Tutor also shows students where the zero is on the keyboard.
Subitizing skills are built into the Online Tutor
The Counting and Subitizing Learning Track shows items in groups of three, four and five items to help with the subitizing skill. By seeing these examples again and again students will come to know that two groups of five are ten, or a group of three and a group of four are seven, and so on. Each set of items is taught first to students, for example: “This shows twelve pencils. Tap the 1 and then the 2.“