Children's Addition Literature and Online Games

Children's literature is a great way to help student better understand math concepts. There are many books on addition that illustrate the concept well. There are many games on the internet that relate to addition books and can be used to help students better understand and practice addition. 

The Big Buck Adventure: Shelley Gill and Deborah Tobola

• This book is about adding money.
• Addition with Money Game: This game requires students to add change and dollar bills to equal a certain amount.

Domino Addition: Lynette Long

• Use the dots on the dominos to help solve addition problems. 
• Domino Addition Game: This game requires student to count the dots to determine the answer to the math facts. 

Ready, Set, Hop!: Stuart J. Murphy

• How many times have Matty and Moe hopped?
• Ready, Set, Hop! Addition Game: Can you find the fly that fits in the addition problem?

A Fair Bear Share: Stuart J. Murphy

• Will the bears be able to gather enough nut, seeds, and berries to get Mama Bear to make her famous pie?
• Baxley Bear: Going Fishing: How many math facts can you get correct? Baxley bear is hungry for correct answer fish!

How do empty number lines help students learn addition?

Addition using a number line with numbers does not help the student think on their own. These number lines can cause a student to be dependent and hinder their ability to solve problems without the number line. An empty number line allows students to create their own way of solving a problem by breaking the number down in various way. The empty number line allows students to record and share the way they solved the problem mentally. In the following examples, the basic math fact is 38 + 25 = ? The student responsible for first number line, added 20 to 30 to make 58. They then added the remaining 5 to 58 to get an answer of 63. The student responsible for the second number added 2 to 38 first to make an even 40. They then added 20 to 40 and got 60 and the remaining 3 to 30 to get 63. Both students got the same right answer but used different methods to get to 63. They broke up the 25 into numbers that were easier for them to add mentally. By using the empty number line, they were able to record their strategy and share it so that it makes sense to everyone. With practice this type of mental math will become easier and the students will get faster at solving the problems.

Below are some websites that have games using number lines for students to practice.

Number Line: This websites has a number line that has numbers on it. This website should be used early on to help students get comfortable using a number line.

Empty Number Line: This should be used after practice with the number lines with numbers.

Below is a video that shows a child using the empty number line to solve a problem.
 

What are five and ten frames?

Five and ten frames are graphic organizers that assist students in learning their basic number facts. Students use to these frames to add and subtract numbers up to five or up to ten. The students take a basic subtraction math fact, they fill in the appropriate frames with markers to represent the first number in the math fact. After the first number is represented in the frame, the student is able to count the number of empty blocks to determine the answer to the math fact.  In the following example, the math fact represented is 10-9=? The students are able to easily see that the ten frame is missing one marker which tells them the answer is 1. They could also see this example as 9+1= 10. 

  

When using the five and ten frames to add, the student puts both number in separate ten frames the are sitting one on top of the other. The students are then able to see how many markers they can move up to complete one frame and how many empty squares are left. In the following example, the problem is 7+2=? Once the students move the two markers up to the first frame, they are able to see that there is only one empty square in the first ten frame making the answer to the math fact 9. 

The more practice students have with five and ten frames, the quicker they are able to solve the basic math facts. Learning these basic math facts, helps students when solving more challenging problems. Practice does not always have to mean worksheets. Parents can make a game of five and ten frames so that the children want to play. Once idea for a game might be using pennies to add up to a dime or dimes up to a dollar. This might be a way add up allowance earned through the week for different chores to determine how much they made in total for the whole week. 

The internet also offers websites with games using five and ten frames. These websites can be found in student resources. Please make sure to work with students when they are using the internet. 

Below is a video clip that may explain the concept more clearly with examples.