While basic facts are important, there are other aspects of mathematical fluency that I want to address as well. When students have some values committed to memory, higher level problems become faster and more efficient. Understanding number relationships helps students to move quickly between fractions, decimals, and percents. As problems get harder, they can quickly decide when to keep numbers as fractions or when to change them to percents.
I have realized that working toward mathematical fluency has a place in the enrichment classroom. We can go beyond the basic facts to work on topics that have some mathematical richness and room for discussion.
For fourth graders, these topics include:
- addition and subtraction within 100
- extended multiplication and division facts
- simplifying fractions
Fifth graders benefit from fluency practice with:
- multiplication and division by powers of 10
- comparing decimal and fraction values
- fractions to decimals
For sixth graders, fluency practice can explore:
- percents
- exponents and square roots
- integer operations
- using area and perimeter formulas
Creating fluency practice for students isn't difficult! Choose a topic, then create sets of problems within that topic. Students enjoy competing against themselves week after week, aiming for improvement. With my enrichment students, I made improvement the goal instead of a set number of problems. This makes success within everyone's grasp.
If you would like the sets that I created, they are available below.
Beyond Basic Facts: Fourth Grade
Beyond Basic Facts: Fifth Grade
Beyond Basic Facts: Sixth Grade
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