Fluency

The new standards have come out with fluency guidelines for grades K-5. The following are the new requirements for each grade level:

Kindergarten: Add and subtract within 5
1st Grade: Add and subtract within 10
2nd Grade: Add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. *By the end, 2nd grade students must know all the sums of two one-digit numbers from memory.
3rd Grade: Multiply and divide within 100 from memory
4th Grade: Add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers
5th Grade: Multiply multi-digit whole numbers

I have noticed my students are doing fabulous mastering their addition facts. However, subtraction seems to always lag behind. Why? No one likes to subtract - everyone wants to add. The only time I find it exciting to subtract is when I am on a diet or determining the difference in the score of a sporting event. Most often, I use subtraction when balancing my bank account or getting change, both of which means I am spending money.

I took it upon myself to find subtraction activities and websites that go beyond simple flash cards and memorization.  My rules for fluency activities are the following:
1. The activity must require students to use strategies beyond memorization to solve the problem.
2. There must be a picture associated with the problem for K-1 or struggling mathematicians.
3. Students must be able to see how the facts are connected together. For example, 4+5=9 which means 9-5=4.

This is a great website for a lot of subtraction games. I really enjoyed the different levels of: 

Speed Grid Subtraction

There are a lot of activities on this page. However, I find that Math Mahjong best fits my rules for fluency activities:

Sheppard Software

Addition and subtraction work together to create a very thought provoking game. 

Circle 21