Students have things to learn before memorizing Addition Facts

There are two Learning Tracks in the Rocket Math Online Tutor that can help students 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 this one: Conceptual Addition.

 

We begin with adding two groups of objects

Children who understand the concept of addition know that it is counting all the items in two groups of objects.  Learning Track (1.0) Conceptual Addition begins with having the students provide the answer to simple addition problems with the objects displayed.  Each problem is first taught by the Online Tutor.  It shows a screen like this and says, “This shows 4 birds plus 2 birds equals 6 birds. Tap 6.”  Then it presents the problem without the answer showing for the student to practice.  If the student cannot answer in 3 seconds or answers incorrect, the Online Tutor teaches the problem again and then tests the student immediately.

 

“Counting on” from a number is the next skill

Student need to learn to “count on” from a number other than one in order to be able to add problems with sums above ten. (Without “counting on” you can’t add five and six on your fingers!)  The Conceptual Addition learning track teaches the skill of “counting on”  from early on in the sequence.  The teaching and correcting narration includes the counting on for each problem.  As illustrated in the example here, the Online Tutor teaches, “Start with four and count 3 more.  Four, five, six, seven.  Four plus three equals seven.  Tap seven.”  This instruction is presented the first time the student sees the screen and every time the student hesitates or makes an incorrect response. So the Online Tutor models “counting on” with every problem presented in the rest of the learning track.

 

Adding zero is taught as well

Students need to understand what to do when they encounter working with zero.  So there are some problems that include adding zero in the learning track. The concept of zero is taught in the Counting and Subitizing learning track.  Here students are taught that you “count zero more.”  Here is the teaching and correcting script for adding zero that goes with the screens on the right.  “Start with 4 and count zero more. Four. 4 plus 0 equals 4. Tap 4.”  This problem and another with adding zero continue to be reviewed throughout the learning track.

 

 

Problems go up to 9 plus 9.

Students encounter all of the basic facts up to 9 plus 9.  They learn that the procedure of starting with the larger number and “counting on” the number of times of the other number will lead to the right result.  We want them to understand the concept of addition.  They will understand the concept well before they finish the learning track.