How fast is your 3rd grader with their multiplication facts?

[Anonymous]

Teacher wants them to be fast.

[Anonymous]

Fast because he learned them summer after first grade. Instead of doing apps or something online we did paper and pencil drills.

[Anonymous]

My kid was also fast in 3rd grade but we had him do Kumon for multiplication, division, and fractions. Best money spent because it is clear by compacted math that he had a firm foundation and could calculate quickly and many times in his head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was also fast in 3rd grade but we had him do Kumon for multiplication, division, and fractions. Best money spent because it is clear by compacted math that he had a firm foundation and could calculate quickly and many times in his head.

**calculate basic equations/problems

[Anonymous]

He's a really smart kid, but he's slow. And he's in fifth.

I really want him to be fast because I know how important it is, so we do a lot of practice and dinner and when I homeschooled I drilled math facts a lot. But I am beginning to think that some kids are just going to take longer than others at getting to the point where they can do them quickly, and they won't be able to meet teacher expectations no matter how hard they try.

We can't all be winners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Anonymous]

I consider fluency the ability to answer verbally from a flash card or oral question within 1-2 seconds without error or hesitation. Written fluency varies by age, number of problems in 2 minutes. By 3rd grade addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, skip counting to 15, square roots, were all fluent when shown flash cards or asked vocally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's a really smart kid, but he's slow. And he's in fifth.

I really want him to be fast because I know how important it is, so we do a lot of practice and dinner and when I homeschooled I drilled math facts a lot. But I am beginning to think that some kids are just going to take longer than others at getting to the point where they can do them quickly, and they won't be able to meet teacher expectations no matter how hard they try.

We can't all be winners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It takes time, I work with SN kids, usually start this skill early after basic counting and number skills are mastered around age 4-5, takes about a year (practicing3-5 times per week probably 15 times each day) to get addition fluency, 6- 9 months to get subtraction, 3-6 months for multiplication, 0-3 months for division. It gets easier the more they do it and as they get better with it there are games and apps that you can use for fun practice. It’s worth the extra effort and very possible to learn if you remain consistent. Read up on fluency training to assist you.

[Anonymous]

My 6th grader is a capable math student, most advanced track, As on all tests, top MAP scores, does not need help with math hw. He is not fast, but he is accurate and has a full understanding of the concepts. Faster does not equal smarter in math. The goal is to be correct.

[Anonymous]

My oldest has slow processing speed and will never be fast. Those timed multiplication sheets were always a disaster
And now he's a senior with multiple AP courses under his belt, applying to selective colleges.

My youngest has decent speed, but she's not fast either. She took Algebra 1 as a 6th grader.

So as PP said, don't worry about speed. Focus on accuracy and understanding of concepts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's a really smart kid, but he's slow. And he's in fifth.

I really want him to be fast because I know how important it is, so we do a lot of practice and dinner and when I homeschooled I drilled math facts a lot. But I am beginning to think that some kids are just going to take longer than others at getting to the point where they can do them quickly, and they won't be able to meet teacher expectations no matter how hard they try.

We can't all be winners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It takes time, I work with SN kids, usually start this skill early after basic counting and number skills are mastered around age 4-5, takes about a year (practicing3-5 times per week probably 15 times each day) to get addition fluency, 6- 9 months to get subtraction, 3-6 months for multiplication, 0-3 months for division. It gets easier the more they do it and as they get better with it there are games and apps that you can use for fun practice. It’s worth the extra effort and very possible to learn if you remain consistent. Read up on fluency training to assist you.

Oh boy we have been consistently working on just multiplication for years (since school got out in March 2020; I didn't do much before because he was at school) and he still takes a long time. We have done dice games, many different apps, multiplication charts, flash cards, basic math fact worksheets, quizzes in the car, etc. I have studied the cognitive science of learning, looked at plenty of different ways to teach, asked teachers, etc. We have practiced much more than 3-5 times per week/fifteen times per day.

We are still working on it, but I sort of doubt that the reason he is slow is because I haven't been consistently putting forth effort.

[Anonymous]

Fluency is important, but keep in mind that these fast fact tests are (perhaps unintentionally) testing more than knowledge of and fluency in math facts (writing speed, processing speed, working memory, performance anxiety, perfectionism/fear of failure), so sometimes it highlights a learning difference unrelated to math knowledge. So it can be a useful flag.

My DS went through multivariable calc in 12th, high SATs, double majoring in math in college -- never passed a fast facts test in elementary school even though he knew them cold. He couldn't write fast enough for the written ones (has dysgraphia) and he clammed up with the oral ones (social anxiety related to bullying). My younger didn't have a writing issue, but also could't pass the fast fact quizzes even though he knew them cold and was eerily super fast in mental math - turns out he has ADHD. It is what it is.

If the kid knows his facts, but isn't doing well on the fast test, keep practicing, but don't overemphasize the importance of this one thing. These tests can kill confidence and make a kid believe they aren't "good" at math when they actually are. Practicing at home can help them hone the skills and create the brain pathways to overcome the disabilities if that is what is at issue. Just make sure the kid understands that they do know the math and don't let the competitive/speed part crush their confidence in actual math skills and knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's a really smart kid, but he's slow. And he's in fifth.

I really want him to be fast because I know how important it is, so we do a lot of practice and dinner and when I homeschooled I drilled math facts a lot. But I am beginning to think that some kids are just going to take longer than others at getting to the point where they can do them quickly, and they won't be able to meet teacher expectations no matter how hard they try.

We can't all be winners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It takes time, I work with SN kids, usually start this skill early after basic counting and number skills are mastered around age 4-5, takes about a year (practicing3-5 times per week probably 15 times each day) to get addition fluency, 6- 9 months to get subtraction, 3-6 months for multiplication, 0-3 months for division. It gets easier the more they do it and as they get better with it there are games and apps that you can use for fun practice. It’s worth the extra effort and very possible to learn if you remain consistent. Read up on fluency training to assist you.

Oh boy we have been consistently working on just multiplication for years (since school got out in March 2020; I didn't do much before because he was at school) and he still takes a long time. We have done dice games, many different apps, multiplication charts, flash cards, basic math fact worksheets, quizzes in the car, etc. I have studied the cognitive science of learning, looked at plenty of different ways to teach, asked teachers, etc. We have practiced much more than 3-5 times per week/fifteen times per day.

We are still working on it, but I sort of doubt that the reason he is slow is because I haven't been consistently putting forth effort.

Educators who still believe in timed tests are not up to date on research that shows mastery of concepts and development of critical thinking skills is far more important than rapid factual recall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's a really smart kid, but he's slow. And he's in fifth.

I really want him to be fast because I know how important it is, so we do a lot of practice and dinner and when I homeschooled I drilled math facts a lot. But I am beginning to think that some kids are just going to take longer than others at getting to the point where they can do them quickly, and they won't be able to meet teacher expectations no matter how hard they try.

We can't all be winners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It takes time, I work with SN kids, usually start this skill early after basic counting and number skills are mastered around age 4-5, takes about a year (practicing3-5 times per week probably 15 times each day) to get addition fluency, 6- 9 months to get subtraction, 3-6 months for multiplication, 0-3 months for division. It gets easier the more they do it and as they get better with it there are games and apps that you can use for fun practice. It’s worth the extra effort and very possible to learn if you remain consistent. Read up on fluency training to assist you.

Oh boy we have been consistently working on just multiplication for years (since school got out in March 2020; I didn't do much before because he was at school) and he still takes a long time. We have done dice games, many different apps, multiplication charts, flash cards, basic math fact worksheets, quizzes in the car, etc. I have studied the cognitive science of learning, looked at plenty of different ways to teach, asked teachers, etc. We have practiced much more than 3-5 times per week/fifteen times per day.

We are still working on it, but I sort of doubt that the reason he is slow is because I haven't been consistently putting forth effort.

You might need to change your teaching methodology. If it’s not working, try something else. They might learn differently than you’re teaching.

[Anonymous]

My DD was always terrible with math facts, in particular addition and subtraction. We always put this down to the series of crappy long-term subs she had in 2nd grade, and figured she’d eventually get better at them. If she stopped to think about it, she knew the answers, just couldn’t pull it out if her head on the fly. She grasped math concepts quickly, but made lots of “careless” arithmetic mistakes in solving the problems.

Turns out, she has inattentive ADHD with poor working memory (no major processing issues, though). She’s now doing well in Honors Precalc as a 10th grader, and is just careful to double-check all the arithmetic, or plug her solution back into the original equation to confirm before turning it in. It’s a lot less of an issue now than it was in earlier grades.

[Anonymous]

My kid leanned very quickly at school by using Reflex, which our PTA bought for the school. If yours doesn’t, you can buy the at-home version called (I think) Time 4 Math Facts.