Surfside Primary School Newsletter

Teaching & Learning Page

Mathematics at Surfside: A Lens on Number Fact Fluency 

‘Fact fluency is foundational for success in Mathematics and a predictor of later mathematical attainment" (Tronsky, 2005).

 

At Surfside Primary, we focus on helping students develop fact fluency, which means being able to quickly and accurately recall basic maths facts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This skill is essential because it allows students to solve more complex problems without getting stuck on simple calculations. One effective way we build fact fluency is through retrieval practice. This involves regularly revisiting and recalling these basic facts from memory, which helps reinforce their learning. 

Surfside Rocket facts are a multi-sensory paper based task that students participate in within all year levels three times a week and include a very specific sequence starting with addition and subtraction in the junior years before moving to multiplication and division in the middle and senior years.

Working in pairs students ‘orbit’ (read aloud to their partner) their fluency on number facts. Students then develop their written fluency of number facts with a timed 1-minute practice. Supplemented with the Surfside Rocket Facts are the Times Tables Rock Stars and Numbots apps that all students have access to in order to develop their fact fluency. 

By practising these maths facts repeatedly, students become more confident and quicker in their recall. This makes it easier for them to tackle more challenging tasks, such as multi-step word problems, because they can focus on the strategies needed rather than getting caught up in basic computations. 

We encourage parents to support their children at home by practising these foundational maths facts to help them become more fluent and confident in their mathematical abilities. 

 

What can you do at home to support your child's mathematics ability: 

  1. Always encourage and prompt positive attitudes and conversation around Mathematics. 
  2. Playing board and card games that informal links to mathematical skills. 
  3. Sit with and view them interacting with the Times Table Rock Stars / Numbots apps

 

If you would like to find out more about the teaching and learning of Mathematics at Surfside Primary please contact the school and we would be more than happy to discuss support options in further detail. 

 

Adrian Chapman 

Learning Specialist