SALTA 1st Grade Curriculum Map

Canyons School District

Instructional Supports Department 

Fluency in Mathematics  Implementation Tools & Resources 

Critical Actions for  Educators 

 What does it mean to be fluent in mathematics? Fluency entails so much more  than being fast and accurate. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics,  “Computational fluency refers to having efficient and accurate methods for  computing. Students exhibit computational fluency when they demonstrate  flexibility in the computational methods they choose, understand and can  explain these methods, and produce accurate answers efficiently. The  computational methods that a student uses should be based on mathematical  ideas that the student understands well, including the structure of the base-ten  system number system, properties of multiplication and division, and number  relationships” (p. 152).   When the focus of fluency is on memorizing times tables students often  memorize facts without number sense, which means that they are very limited in  what they can do and are prone to making errors. (Jo Boaler) Students cannot  be fluent without conceptual understanding and flexible thinking. Focusing on  flexibility rather than speed means valuing students’ ability to use strategic  thinking to carry out a computation without being hindered by many  unnecessary or confusing steps in the solution. Number sense is the foundation  for all higher-level mathematics.   Number Talks is one of the best methods for teaching number sense and math  facts at the same time. Number Talks provide daily opportunities for students  to develop meaningful strategies as they use numbers flexibly to practice  computation and engage in purposeful conversation with their peers.  References Boaler, J. (2014). ​ Research Suggests Timed Tests Cause Math Anxiety ​ . ​ Teaching Children Mathematics, 20 ​ (8). NCTM President Linda M. Gojak, NCTM ​ Summing Up ​ , November 1, 2012 Parish, S. (2014). ​ Number Talks ​ : Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies, Grades K-5, Updated with Common Core Connections. Math Solutions. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics ​ . Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000. Print

● Engage students  in a Number Talk  daily to build  number sense and  fluency 

● Encourage  multiple,  meaningful  strategies as 

students practice  computation 

● Build conceptual  understanding  before expecting  fluency  ● Focus on flexibility  rather than speed  ● Timed-tests are  not best practice  for building  fluency and often  cause fear of math 

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