Common Core Math Strategies to help acquire a deeper understanding of Common Core Math Standards
Addition Within 1000 and Applied Word Problems
Included is a packet of 10 pages. Entry Level and Post Formative Assessments help to identify which children need more instruction on various common core standards. After assessing, there are 8 additional pages that focus on a particular skill or strategy. Each page begins at a basic level and then increasingly becomes more difficult. Several sheets include two levels to allow for differentiation. Included are answer keys. Because the Common Core asks children to think critically, while being able to justify how they arrived at their answer in an efficient way, the answers provided are considered “POSSIBLE” answers. Children may have others ideas. However, they must be able to demonstrate how they arrived at their answer. “I memorized it” is not an explanation. The Common Core also encourages automaticity while exercising flexibility in adding and subtracting through the breaking apart and putting together of numbers. This is why showing doubles and bridging through 10s and 20s in Mental Math activities must be practiced and demonstrated.

Here are just a few of the strategies that I have introduced to my students and are part of the 8 pages of practice:
Decomposing
Composing
Branching
The Pull Down Method
Partial Sums
Open Number Line

I feel that it is important that my students demonstrate mastery of the various strategies. Later, as I provide performance tasks, I will be asking the students to choose a strategy from the ones above or a strategy that they have created themselves; as long as they can articulate their mathematical thinking clearly to others. Practicing and mastering the above strategies while eliciting other approaches will help children acquire a deeper understanding of our Base Ten System.

I invite you to look at my parent handout for a visual explanation of the various Mathematical Strategies that are listed above.

Student Friendly Standards Addressed:
* OA1 I can solve word problems using objects, drawings, and equations.
* OA2 I can use mental strategies (using doubles plus one, bridging through 10) to easily add within 20.
* NBT5 I can easily add numbers within 1000 by using strategies I have learned
(decomposing, branching, partial sums, etc)
* NBT6 I can add up to 4 two-digit numbers by using strategies I have learned.
* NBT8 I can add and subtract 10 or 100 to another number in my head.
* NBT9 I can use place value to explain addition.

This packet can be used:

~in small groups as a tool to instruct, offer guided practice, and monitor independent practice
~as a formative assessment to share with parents
~as a common assessment to use for regrouping among grade level teams
~as a tool to set ability groups and differentiate instruction
~as a tool to fill the gaps and find individual strengths and weaknesses
~to group students by the skill or standard that they have not yet mastered