Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Fact Family Fun!

Today we solidified our understanding of Fact Families, a concept introduced and learned back in first grade, that clearly demonstrates the relationship between addition and subtraction.  As a refresher, fact families are 3 numbers that are all "related" to each other.



For example:     2, 3, and 5 are a fact family


With these numbers we can create the following 4 number models/number sentences:
2 + 3 = 5
3 + 2 = 5
5 - 2 = 3
5 - 3 = 2
           
Students often have trouble with the subtraction models, trying to subtract the two smaller numbers and getting a different answer (example: 3 – 2 = 1). The key to Fact Families is that you always use the same 3 numbers. If a child can recognize this, then math facts will become much easier!

Expanding on this idea, students worked today to create 4 different "fact families" in 4 different houses.  Take a look below to see them hard a work!





















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