Because of all these “whammies”, students tend to learn this concept at very different paces. However, I ALWAYS start with the WHY! WHY are we carrying? WHY do we just leave one digit at the bottom? WHY do my numbers need to line up? WHY, wHy, WhY????
I have compiled a few tips that have worked for me during my teaching years. I hope you find them helpful!
1. PLACE VALUE MATS
For me, place value mats are essential. My place value mats are a little different in that they connect the concrete manipulatives to the abstract concepts. I like my students to see that connection as they work through the problems of addition with regrouping. Watch the short video below to see how I introduce this concept.
2. HIGHLIGHTERS
This trick has been around for quite some time. It’s amazing that when you ask a child to get out a crayon, marker, or highlighter, excitement just fills their face! This strategy helps your students understand that the numbers need to line up AND that you can only fit ONE digit in the one’s place! Anything more will need to carried!
3. GRAPH PAPER
Do you have students that have difficulty keeping their numbers straight – ones over the ones and tens over the tens? I do…. Every. Single. Time. Graph paper is a great way to teach that concept to children AND that only ONE digit can go into each square! This is a great visual way to show addition with regrouping – the ones remain on the bottom and that ten stick needs to be carried to the top!
4. CIRCLING YOUR THREE ADDENDS
It never fails. I will teach the concept of addition with regrouping and my students HAVE it! I swear by it. Then, some students try to finish the problem by adding the tens place and they FORGET TO ADD THE TEN they carried!!!! Ugh!!! Highlighting is great for the ones place, but what about those tens? I have students CIRCLE the numbers they are adding. This has been a LIFE SAVER for me! It’s such an EASY idea, but guaranteed to work!
