By grade three, students should be able to look at a flash card and tell you the answer in the time it takes you to count 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005 before flipping to the next flash card. I will always be grateful to my son's grade two teacher who had her students do Beat the Bell math drill. They had to do a page of basic math facts within a certain number of minutes.

If they can't add at all, start with zeros and ones — they have a system.

• a number plus zero is the number — it doesn't matter what the number is that is being added to zero or one the rule is the same
• a number plus one is the next number on the number line

Next move on to twos, threes and fours.

• use "touch math" so the students can add-up using the points on the numbers
  try to find a font that shows the four with four ends

Teach them to add doubles, like 2+2 and 3+3. This may require memory work.

• make a game out of it — say the alphabet, then say two plus two is four, repeat the alphabet, do another double
• using the doubles they know, you can now teach them a double plus one
  If 4+4=8, then 4+5 must equal one more or 9.

Taken Aback by Addition?

See the Math Skills Index for more ideas.

See our Teaching Resources for Math for teaching and practice worksheets, lesson plans, etc.

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