Students continue to develop their addition and subtraction skills in 1st grade, and in many classes, math tools and manipulatives such as blocks, tiles, and different shapes are used to help students practice using concrete, visible objects. This helps students truly understand the concepts underlying the math they learn. What’s more, students in 1st grade may begin to write about the math they do, answering questions about how they solve problems and understand certain processes.
To build his math skills, your first grader:
- Adds and subtracts numbers 1-20, solves word problems by using objects, drawings, and traditional equations (with the plus and minus signs).
- Adds three numbers that add to a number up to 20.
- Solves addition and subtraction problems by adding up or subtracting smaller numbers, for example: 10+4 = 10+2+2 and 15-6 = 15-2-2-2.
- Learns the relationship between addition and subtraction, for example: 2+3=5 and 5-3=2.
- Counts out and groups objects in order to solve single digit addition and subtraction problems.
- Counts and writes the numbers 1 to 120, starting from any number less than 120.
- Understands and creates numbers using 10 as a base, for example: 12 = one 10 and two 1’s.
- Compares two 2 digit numbers using the <, >, and = signs.
- Adds up to 100 using objects and the concept of 10’s.
- Subtracts or adds 10 to a 2-digit number in his mind, without counting, and subtracts by 10 from numbers 1-90, using concrete objects or tools.
- Orders three objects by length.
- Begins to tell and write time using both digital and analog clocks ( is a good tool for practicing).
- Understands data; specifically, the total number of data points, how many are in each category, and how many more or less there are in a category.
- Understands the definition of and difference between shapes and creates shapes using this knowledge ( will help with this!).
- Creates 2 and 3 dimensional shapes.
- Breaks up circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts, and understands that the parts are halves, fourths, and quarters, and that smaller parts make up larger ones.
