how quick is quick enough for math facts? Options

[alisonamsb]

I have tried to find this through a regular engine search with no luck. What should we be aiming for in regards to memorization of add/subract. facts, in terms of how many per minute? Should it really be automatic by the 2nd grade level, as in 60 facts per minute, like a typical adult? My 1st graders are currently counting up while practicing their 1-3 number families. 1's are about 30/min, 2's are 15/minute and 3's are 10/min. We drill about 4 times a week, reviewing all the facts for each number family and doing a 1 minute time test.

thanks for the input

alison

[foxchild]

I do not know if this helps but I remember doing timed drills in 4th grade. But that was in 1984-1985 and things have changed so much in that time.

[quiltinmommy]

My goal is that my kids should be answer a math fact within 3 seconds..... does that help? I build up to that though..... I don't expect it right away.....

[Sherinova]

I agree w/Barbra-Sue....within 3 seconds per fact....written or oral. my

[ucfgizmo]

I was looking at one of the state curriculm guides... this one is California. They said 25 problems in 2 minutes as a minimum standard for 2nd grade. If that helps.

[foxchild]

My goodness. I do not even remember having timed drills in 2nd grade at all.

[alisonamsb]

thanks everyone. I have been looking more on the internet and did find a couple references. Some as low as 1.25 sec/fact and some as high as 5 sec. I think I will aim for 2-3 sec. at this point. Thanks!!

alison

[Mina31]

This is a great question. I have wondered from time to time how fast they should be able to do their sums. Dd can take forever. Although thankfully we are over that desperate hump of her point blank refusal to do any maths.
Ds# 1 & 2 both get theirs done relatively fast.

But I hadn't thought to look anywhere on an actual time frame. Thank you ladies. The Dd is going to be in for a rude shock now! (Evil mother)

[Donna]

For future reference, a 9th grader ought to be able to finish a mixed drill sheet -- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- with 100 problems orally in 60 seconds. (Rather that is what my teacher had us do and I suppose all of the kids were able to do it after some desperate studying. (we had an F until we were able to do it -- that is where the desperation entered ))

[Mina31]

For future reference, a 9th grader ought to be able to finish a mixed drill sheet -- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- with 100 problems orally in 60 seconds. (Rather that is what my teacher had us do and I suppose all of the kids were able to do it after some desperate studying. (we had an F until we were able to do it -- that is where the desperation entered  ))

Oh my! I know it would make me pretty desperate....(when studying at Uni Dh used to tease me over how depressed I would get when I got a B grade instead of an A.)

And now we know the secret to your maths skill.

[Appliejuice]

My 6th grade son is suppose to do 100 math facts (not mixed) in less than 5 minutes, but he can't do it. Orally he can, but not written.

My daughter is in the second grade and we are having a very hard time with subtraction and upper addition. It is mostly that she is not interested in learning them. She breaks down when timed for two minutes.

This is a great question. Thanks for asking it.

[mtbriere]

I'm not sure on this one. But I know that my state has a standardized test at the 3rd grade level. When my kids were in 2nd grade, they began preparing for this. They were doing timed tests with 100 problems. They were given 2 minutes. First addition, then subtraction. I can't remember if they had mixed or not. I'm not sure what level of completion was considered passing.

[Melanie]

My kids are in 4th and 1st (she is an "old" 1st, though, because of her birthday.) In oral drill, I expect them to say the answer in the time it takes me to change the card; I guess that takes about a second. My fourth grader is good with this, but the 1st grader sometimes hesitates. She's getting better and better, though. My fourth grader is doing 100 written mixed math facts in about 3 minutes, 30 seconds. The goal is to eventually get it down to under 60 seconds, but the kid just can't write fast enough yet. I'll give him a few years! The first grader does her 100 math facts (only addition right now - she is still doing her flash cards with subtraction) in about seven minutes. She gets distracted by dust floating in the sunshine and all that.


I never knew how long we were "supposed" to take, though. Thanks for bringing this up!

[alisonamsb]

For future reference, a 9th grader ought to be able to finish a mixed drill sheet -- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- with 100 problems orally in 60 seconds. (Rather that is what my teacher had us do and I suppose all of the kids were able to do it after some desperate studying.

Really??? I'm very good with math facts and even I can't do that. I can't move my eyes and talk that fast. I'm at about 1 second per fact.

alison

[Donna]

It was not easy. I can still remember how nervous I was about it and how relieved I was when it was over.

[siscaboo1512]

When I was in elementary we had to do math drills. There were 100 on the page and we had I think 2 minutes to do them.

I have something that says start by timing them on doing the drill sheet. And every week take off a minute to help them get better at it. That is what we are doing and it is working. When they started out and this was addition and subtraction I think it was at like 37 min I would have to get my book to be accurate but now they are down to about 7 min for Stacey 8 yr old and 9 for Harley 9 yr old.