MA 4.03Addition Strip Board
The child uses blue and red number strips on a grid numbered 1–18 to find and record every addition fact from 1 + 1 to 9 + 9.
Age 5Work 3 of 6 in Memorization of Facts
Presentation
- 1
Lay out the blue strips and the red strips as two stairs above the board.
- 2
Problem 6 + 3: place blue strip 6 in the top row starting at the left edge. Place red strip 3 right after it.
- 3
Read the number above the end of the red strip: 9. Say and write 6 + 3 = 9.
- 4
Do another: 8 + 5. Point out that the answer is past the red line: 'more than ten'.
- 5
Show the table of 1: 1 + 1, 1 + 2, up to 1 + 9. The child places strips for each and records.
- 6
In later sessions the child does the tables of 2 through 9.
- 7
The child checks the recorded facts against Addition Chart 1.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Find all the ways to make a given sum (all pairs that make 12).
- Show that 3 + 5 and 5 + 3 give the same sum.
- Doubles (4 + 4) and doubles plus one (4 + 5).
- Answer fact slips without the strips and check with the board.
Control of error
Addition Chart 1 (the full control chart) shows every answer.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Completes all nine tables with correct records
- Explains that changing the order of addends does not change the sum
- Answers many facts before placing the strips