Building Math Fluency

Building Math Fluency

This is my 5th year teaching fourth grade.   By now I know most of the curriculum and standards like the back of my hand.   I know exactly where I need my kiddos to be by the end of the year, especially when it comes to math and I know how much work it is going to take to get there.  We teach 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication, division, and fractions in 4th grade!  It is not easy no matter how long you have been teaching it. All of those concepts require students to have fluency with addition/subtraction as well as multiplication facts.  It is important that I have time in my daily lessons to help students build their fluency. 

Eureka Math

The great part about using Eureka Math is that fluency is already built into each lesson.  This is almost always found at the beginning of lessons.  I know that sometimes as teachers we may feel tempted to skip that part for the sake of time, but I'm here to ask you not to skip over fluency.  It is so key to help spiral students' learning and set them up for the lesson you are about to teach. 

I recently went to a district training on math fluency and boy did I learn a lot.  I really had to take some time to think about how I was conducting fluency practice and how I could make it so much more meaningful for my students.

What I learned

• Grades K - 5 are all about units! When practicing fluency it is important to remember the unit. Whether it is fractions, place value, or measurement always include the unit.
• Signaling is so important.  This was totally new to me.  I thought that establishing a signal to use with Happy Counting would be easy.  Once I started practicing with my team I was so wrong.  If I wasn't clearly signaling for my colleague to understand, then how would my students be able to understand what I was asking of them?  I recommend practicing with a partner a few times before you try with students. You might also want to videotape yourself with your class to see how it went.  You can adjust your signaling after watching yourself.  One thing that I have struggled with in the past with students is when they start to count too fast.  Once I started using the signaling with fluency practice I notice that problem pretty much stopped altogether.  This helped me set a pace in the classroom that was perfect for everyone, not just the high achievers.  
• Smile -  At first I was so focused on getting my signaling down, that I probably looked like I wasn't enjoying the lesson.   If you look like you are trying to rush through fluency or unhappy about including it in your lesson then students will pick up on it. Encourage students through your smile.  
• Set a timer.  If you are struggling to fit math fluency in your lesson, then start with a minute or two. Fluency should not be the main part of your lesson.  The idea is not to drill and kill your students but to help them build their number sense and mental math skills.  

This training was such a game-changer for me.  I am sometimes guilty of falling into the same routine year after year.  I was so excited to see different strategies and teaching practices to make math fluency more accessible for my students. Have you been to this math training yet?  What were some of your takeaways? 

Learning and Teaching with Grace,
Alina