Target Haul! Math Fact Fluency, and Living with a 2nd Grader

$20 for 5 mini pocket charts (digging the colors) (used for spelling, hf and vocabulary words, 4 subtraction flashcards, 4 addition flashcards, 2 memory games, 2 telling time cards, 1 state flash cards, planner (for my health data), and pack of erasers (for my treasure box)

I thought these were pretty good finds and I was sooooo excited about the flashcards.  I have a love/hate relationship with math fact fluency and flashcards.  If you print them out parents don't use them, and if you tell them to buy them they don't so I went out a limb to buy these to offer to those that need them and a set for my own 2nd grader! 

So I tested them out with my 2nd grader.  Here is my pro and con list of these cards. 

Pros

• cheap
• sturdy
• simple
• better than nothing
• addition set seems complete without the turn around facts (I didn't confirm that though)
• doesn't include turn around facts
• There is a easy side and a harder side

Cons

• not a full set
• front and back so you can't sort them by stategies
• save time not printing out your own
• subtraction set does not include teen facts, just a few with 12, 11 and 10 as the minuend
• doesn't include turn around facts

J, my 2nd grader, was happy to test them out.  We spent 1 min. and 45 sec. going through the easy addition cards.  She gave up on the hard ones at 3 min. 35 sec. She went through the easy subtraction cards in 1 min. and 53 sec. and all the subtract in 3 min. 10 sec. (they were easier than the addition).  I noticed that she uses her tongue to add on or count back. She had no interest hearing about ways to use mental math as we went *sigh*.  

Another interesting fact.  My 12 year old learned paper and pencil math very early because she is brilliant bright.  She let me know that she cannot do mental math at all. She needs pencil paper for all of it, even 25 + 27, although she can do it in her head, picturing her pencil and paper and regrouping the 12 ones. I would do 25 + 25 + 2.  How would you do it?

How do you practice math fact fluency?  I use Kim Sutton strategies, along with Susan O'Connell, math station and Envisions.  This year I want to try WBT Superspeed Math.  I have heard great things about Reflex Math.  I think I need to narrow it down to what is best but I just haven't figured it out yet. 

Pictures of J. 

J demonstrating how she counts with her tongue while tell me stop telling her how to do mental math

Making stuff

J in a nutshell