Grade 2 math and memorization of facts

[plain jane]

An acquaintance of mine is an elementary grade teacher at a local school. She is extremely supportive of homeschooling so I can talk to her openly and she is very honest about what is going on in her classroom. She recently told me that for grade 2, the students are expected to do speed drills of their math facts up to 18 in both subtraction and addition. A speed drill consists of 30 questions and should be completed in 2 minutes or less.

 

I was just wondering if this sounds about right to you for a grade 2 student. Mine certainly isn't able to do this currently. She can do about 20 questions in 2 minutes but not in subtraction (these take about double the time).- but again, this is after nearly 6 weeks off school. Clearly we need to do more drills :D. So, what is the best way to drill her math facts? Do I want to try flash cards or just continue with our daily speed tests?

[whitestavern]

My daughter did Saxon 2 last year for 2nd and she was doing drills daily. Unless they were the fairly easy (+1, +2, doubles, etc) she wouldn't finish them in the time frame, but she was doing all the problems. I'd keep doing whatever you've been doing for drills and not worry too much about it!

[FriedClams]

My 2nd grader is 3/4 of the way through Horizons 2 and the facts started really clicking in about 1/3-1/2 way through. We'd plod through addition and subtraction, you know - working through the problems, really thinking. Then it just clicked and she tears through most of them. We did do some light supplemental stuff for about a month, but I figured Horizons was enough and it was. I would just stick with the program, keep pounding the facts in (LOL), drill a little if you want, and it will likely all stick in there by the end of the year.

 

ETA - A relative's DD was here recently, and through an extremely bright girl who just started 2nd, it's shortly after summer break and she was having a really hard time recalling any basic math. So, they have a spin up time and then teaching and then drill - so you have plenty of time versus a regular school calendar.

[brehon]

An acquaintance of mine is an elementary grade teacher at a local school. She is extremely supportive of homeschooling so I can talk to her openly and she is very honest about what is going on in her classroom. She recently told me that for grade 2, the students are expected to do speed drills of their math facts up to 18 in both subtraction and addition. A speed drill consists of 30 questions and should be completed in 2 minutes or less.

 

I was just wondering if this sounds about right to you for a grade 2 student. Mine certainly isn't able to do this currently. She can do about 20 questions in 2 minutes but not in subtraction (these take about double the time).- but again, this is after nearly 6 weeks off school. Clearly we need to do more drills :D. So, what is the best way to drill her math facts? Do I want to try flash cards or just continue with our daily speed tests?

 

My 2nd grader does math drill sheets most days of the week, but I don't time him. He currently does 40 problems of addition or 40 problems of subtraction. I'd say that on average he completes this inside 3-4 minutes (assuming, of course, that he hasn't confused math drill work with drama ;)). I print off a sheet of math problems using, um, Basic Math Worksheet Factory (?). Something like that (sorry, I'm at work and can't recall the exact name right now). There's a portion you can buy; but, I use the free bit (it's online). I love that it's customizable and you print off a different sheet every time - IOW your child can't simply memorize the answers.

 

Although I think knowing basic math facts *is* important; I don't necessarily think being able to work a certain number of problems in a given time is a necessary. Of course, I live in a state where I don't have to test or anything; so, I'm not worried if my 2nd grader can't meet that standard. If you choose to go the worksheet route, I'd start very easy and gradually work your way up to whatever standard you wish your child to reach. I wouldn't worry about timing your dd right now unless she's one of those kids who thrive on timed drills. My goals are fluency and confidence - I figure the speed will increase as the other two goals improve. Good Luck.

[FloridaLisa]

I think that sounds about right. I would expect that is the goal for the year, not a requirement for kids entering 2nd grade. Early on in learning the math facts, we use flash cards. I just find them the most efficient method. We also incorporate Calculadders for drill every day. It's easy to print off the page my dc needs, builds in skill level and can be done independently by the child with a timer.

 

HTH!

Lisa

[LisaKinVA]

I've done this as well - but I had to do it a bit backwards (lazy boy I have just wouldn't try -- so, I set the timer to count up. He had to do every single problem and his goal was to finish the sheet faster than the last time.

 

Otherwise, I'd be stuck with a child who could "only" finish 2 lines in 2 minutes (funny, though, when we started making the timer count up, he could finish all 10 lines in four:confused:

[TwinMominTX]

We use Saxon 2. Almost every lesson has a scheduled timed drill test. This consists of 25 questions that should be done in one minute. My girls generally average 23-24 correct answers in one minute. Usually the one mistake is a silly error because they are hurrying. I also keep track of the timed drills as they like to see how they've done on previous tests.

 

Right now (approximately 20 lesson in) we are only doing addition as that is all we've worked on so far. I know that we will soon be coming to subtraction. I think we will be where your friend suggested about mid-year 2nd grade.

 

I treat the addition/subtraction facts as another memory work item. We go over them frequently during the day (driving in the car, at dinner, etc). We also do a quick run through with flash cards each day as well. Finally, like I said, we do timed drill sheets most every day.

[fenni]

Wow. My ds would flip out if he was timed like that. We are just drilling with flashcards and occasionally a game online.

[Alana in Canada]

My son falls part in the face of a timer. All the time. Mammothmath has some great drill sheets if you want some (free).

[abbeyej]

My dd can't do that *yet*, but we're certainly working towards it, yes.

[Chris in VA]

We used Saxon 3 with my second grader--it wasn't until the end of the year that all the math facts had to be done. She did 100 facts in 4 minutes by the end of the year. I don't think she did 100 division facts, but I could be wrong.

 

I love getting them to the point where the facts are automatic. It makes math in the higher grades so very much easier.

[Frelle]

Christian Light math had us doing speed drills in second grade. 2 minutes for 28 problems I think.

[Jami]

My dd can't do that *yet*, but we're certainly working towards it, yes.

 

Right, we're working toward that by the end of 2nd grade, I'm wondering if Jane's friend meant 2nd graders are expected to do that at the beginning of the year or end. There's a big difference there.

[Linda...inOwasso]

I am a stickler for math facts. My dd8 just started 3rd grade and she does 100 written facts in 5 minutes every day. She's on multiplication 0-6 right now and she's only allowed to move on when she scores 100% in less than 5min. 3 times in a row. She absolutely loathed it at first, but she's worked her way through addition and subtraction (up to 25 on both) and is now on multiplication. It's a MUST DO skill here, like brushing your teeth for the day. :)

 

My dd5 does the same thing though she's on addition +3's right now. It wasn't much fun to get the girls used to doing their facts daily, but now I can say it was very much worth it! Best of luck to you!!

[Lizzie in Ma]

When she couldn't do them in the minute given she began to hate math so we have temporarily dropped the speed drills in favor of drilling with triangle fact cards. She had so enjoyed her accomplishment of completing the drills in the time given that when it became a struggle instead it made no sense to me to continue until she was equally strong in both addition and subtraction.

[abbeyej]

One more thing. I do *not* time kids until they *ask* me to. I encourage them to work as quickly as possible, but I don't make "timing" an important aspect if this. I try to keep an eye on the kids and when they're answering problems as quickly as they can physically write the answers, I figure they're ready for an increase in challenge. I remind them that working quickly is part of the point, that doing it quickly means they aren't stuck working on it any more... And if I have to, I'll stand near by repeating, "Great! Keep going! Good! Next one! Ok, do the next!", lol, to keep 'em on track.

 

The speed *does* come that way. But it keeps the focus on the math, not the timer.