Has it been a while since you taught ELA, or at least this particular part of the curriculum? Our teacher team knows a quarter of American teachers switch grades every year, and sometimes you could use a quick refresher.
What Are Addition Strategies?
The term addition strategies refers to the different methods and techniques that can be used by our students to solve addition problems. These strategies are an important part of developing fluency and building a deeper conceptual understanding — not to mention more efficient than counting as students flex their math muscles!Addition strategies will also help students develop the ability to compose (put together) or decompose (take apart) numbers.
Addition Strategy Examples
Looking for examples of some of the addition strategies that can help students on the path to a more procedural model? Here are a few that can be used side by side:- Counting on: Starting with the larger number and counting on from there. For example — if students are looking to find the sum of 7 + 3, they would start with 7 and count on 3 more (8, 9, 10).
- Making 10: Finding ways to make one of the numbers a multiple of 10 and then adding the remaining number. For example, if your student is looking to find the sum of 7 + 4, they could make 7 into 10 by adding 3 and have 1 left to add on.
- Doubles: The doubles strategy for addition is based on the fact that adding a number to itself is the same as doubling that number. For example, to add 8 + 7, one can think of it as 7 + 7 (which equals 14) and then add one more to get 8 + 7 = 15.
- Number bonds: Breaking the problem down into smaller parts that can be added together. For example, to find the sum of 7 + 3, you could think of the problem as (5 + 2) + 3.
- Place value: Using place value to add large numbers. This strategy involves breaking down numbers into their individual digits and adding them one column at a time, starting with the ones place, then the tens place, etc.
- Mental Math: Using mental math to solve addition problems quickly and efficiently. This strategy involves using mental math techniques such as rounding, front-end estimation, and compensation.
