How to Build Math Fluency

Trying to figure out how to help your students with math fluency? Do your students know how to solve problems in different ways? What would they do if given a math puzzle? Building Math Fluency in the classroom is essential to help students move from knowing a skill to mastery of a skill.

Why Math Fluency Matters

Math Fluency doesn’t just happen. Students need to be exposed to different types of math practice daily. Becoming more fluent in math computations is just like becoming a more fluent reader. Students need to practice the math skills necessary to overcome their deficits.

Once students have practiced and memorized their addition skills you don’t just stop. Students continue to practice their addition skills. This constant practice is when students start to become more fluent. Once students are fluent in addition those skills will help them to become fluent in subtraction, and so on.

How to Build Math Fluency

Get ready to help your students build Math Fluency in 3 easy steps!

Step #1

Pick one math topic to practice with your students. Example: Two digit addition (as seen below).

Step #2

Choose an activity for that math topic. Use a puzzle or theme to engage your students in the math topic. Example: Exponent Squares (as seen below).

Step #3

Use the activity for bell work, class work, or as an exit ticket. Building Math Fluency doesn’t have to happen all the same way. Choosing a variety of different ways to deliver Math Fluency can help your students. Example: Decimal BINGO (as seen below).

Step #4

Repeat. Continue to build Math Fluency every day with a different activity on the math topic until your students have mastered it. You can also continue to revisit the math topic in a month or two to check up on your students’ knowledge. Keeping your students engaged in the Math Fluency process is key to helping them grow. Example: Snowglobe Sequences (as seen below).

Math Fluency Tips

Building Math Fluency is a process. Remember to do the following in order to help your students the most:

• Choose appropriate math topics to focus on
• Engage students with puzzles and problem solving
• Rethink how to deliver the activities to your students
• Revisit topics as often as necessary for review

Practice Every Month

You can start to build Math Fluency in your classroom today. Download the January Math Packet to engage your students in math skills practice.

Easy to implement and ready to go. Students enjoy these as bell work, math stations, morning work to name a few of the ways you can implement them. Click here to grab your math activities and build Math Fluency with your students now!