May the Force Be With You: Math Facts Fluency

Math facts fluency is one of the most dreaded things to teach for many teachers. I, however, love it in my classroom! But most importantly, my kids LOVE it! They look forward to their math facts test each week. They "remind" me every Thursday that it is math fact test time! If we run out of time on Thursday, there is a TON of moaning and groaning. I make it a point to not skip math facts tests!

The class goal is for each student to pass their leveled math test each week. They need to complete 50 problems in 3 minutes. This is a suggested time, but works best for most of my students. There are also 15 and 25 question pages to use as practice or as an assessment.

We keep a class chart to show progress towards mastery. Each time a student passes a test, they get a sticker next to their name. 

I also use individual student charts and keep them in a binder to track student progress. These are great for student conferences. It is a clear visual to show how many weeks a student is on each level or how quickly they are moving through the levels.

 To help with organization of the leveled tests, I pre-copy a class set of each level of the 50 question math tests so they are at my finger tips ready to go each week. I also have color coded sheet of flash cards for my kiddos copied. After they pass a level, I give them a new set of cards to cut out and put on a ring to keep at their desk to study throughout the week. 

After the students take their tests and they are corrected, they go home with one of these awards. If they pass their test they get a slip that congratulates them and tells them which level to study for the following week. If they don't pass, I give them the slip encouraging them to continue practicing for the same test next week. 

I have never seen students so excited to work on learning their math facts. It's a win-win for everyone! 

This packet is available for addition and subtraction AND multiplication and division.

Addition & Subtraction

Multiplication & Division

If you would like to win a copy of one of these packets, leave a comment below with your email address and I will choose a winner before I go to bed tonight. 

Congrats Sheri Ryan! Check your inbox for an email from me! 

 May the Force Be With You...

Are You the Next Jedi Master?

Star Wars and Math Facts??? Who would have thought the two could go hand and hand? I don't know about you, but I am always trying to figure out ways to get my students excited about learning their addition and subtraction facts by memory. I have always given my students timed math tests to force them help them learn their math facts. This year, I decided to I needed to get some more "buy in" from my kids. I redesigned my math facts unit and now they are hooked. They ALL want to be the next Jedi Master in our class (especially the girls)!

This is an example of a 50 problem test I give my students. They have 4 minutes to complete it with no mistakes. The packet also included 15 and 25 problem tests for addition and subtraction practice too.

Each week, after my students take their test, I send home a slip of paper that tells them if they passed their test and are moving to the next level or if they need to keep practicing.

I copy these on colored paper and have the kids cut them out. We then write the answers on the back together, hole punch them and put them on a ring. My students keep them in their desk for practice throughout the day. I also send them home with those students who are "stuck" on a level.

I use these student data graphs so students, parents and myself can see how each student is progressing through the levels. A green square means they passed the level. A red square means they did not pass. I really like this visual because I can quickly see how long a student has been at each level.

May the Force Be With You! Are you the next Jedi Master includes:

Common Core Math Standards

Addition and Subtraction Flash Cards 

15, 25 and 50 problem Addition and Subtraction assessments

Weekly Awards

End of Unit Certificate

Student Data Graphs

Grab your copy and check it out at my TpT store. I hope you LOVE it! Let me know what you think :)

Father's Day Gift Idea

I have been racking my brain for weeks now to find, make or gather the perfect father's day gift for my husband. It's not that I need to get the perfect gift, I just want him to feel special and make his day "perfect" for him. His ideal day is to spend the day with his boys at the baseball field or at a professional game. Seems easy enough, right? Well, not this year. My oldest son is in a baseball tournament in the morning of Father's Day (sounds good so far), BUT he might have to play in the afternoon as well. So it is next to impossible to plan anything for the day. I started asking all my teacher friends in the lunchroom today for some ideas. They were throwing ideas out left and right and I was shooting all of them down. Nothing stuck until I went online and saw this from Sandy Toes and Popsicles:

I was searching Pinterest for ideas and a few clicks and websites later I came upon this adorable idea. Just click on the link above and it will take you to the blog post and printables to make this perfect Father's Day gift. I didn't use all the printables given, but chose a few that worked for me. My husband loves Star Wars so this will be cute for the boys to give him in on the morning of Father's Day before we head to the baseball field. We will make him breakfast and have this in a basket for him. I think it will put a smile on his face.