3rd Grade Crew // Unlocking Fact Fluency!

One of the major works of 3rd grade is discovering, strengthening, and ultimately mastering the basics of multiplication and division! Students began the school year making connections to the repeated addition they learned early in their elementary years. Is it the fastest way to count? Could we skip count instead? What if we need to share fairly or add more equal groups? Discovering multiplication allows students to solve counting situations in their everyday lives and unlocks a mathematician identity that continues to grow throughout the year.

Now that students have been introduced to concepts and strategies for solving all facts x1 through x10, the fun of memorization begins! Our math block has evolved to include time dedicated to fact fluency work. It’s a deceptively simple time of day with students typically using little more than whiteboards, paper clip spinners, markers, or counters. While websites and online games have their place in reinforcing these skills, research shows that hands-on experiences and student choice have the greatest impact on memory and engagement.

At the start of each week, students reflect on their mastery of each fact and choose one to focus on for the rest of the week. They create flashcards for themselves - engaging a sensory-memory connection that only exists when writing by hand. In the following days, students choose from a selection of games, manipulatives, and activities that all promote visualization and repetition - two key experiences that help us transfer our memories from short to long term. They play, practice, and have fun, then show what they know at the end of the week. Since implementing this routine, students have embodied the habits of perseverance, responsibility, and collaboration in really visible ways and carry their excitement about multiplication throughout the day!