Mental Math

Fact Learning
Mental Computation
Estimation
Grade 3
Teachers Guide

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Table of Contents
Mental Math in the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . .

Definitions and Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Teaching Mental Computation Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introducing Thinking Strategies to Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Practice and Reinforcement

................................

10

Response time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

Struggling Students and Differentiated Instruction

...............

12

Combined Grade Classrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13

Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

Timed Tests of Basic Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

Parents and Guardian: Partners in Developing Mental Math Skills . . .

15

Fact Learning Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

Reviewing Addition Facts and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

Addition Facts Extended to 10s and 100s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

Doubles

...........................................

20

Near Doubles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21

2-Apart Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22

Plus Zero Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

Make 10 or 100

.....................................

23

Plus One, Plus Two, Plus Three Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

Fact Learning Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Subtraction Facts and Fact Learning Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Think Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Up Through 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Back Down Through 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Subtraction Facts With Minuends to 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

Subtraction Facts Extended to 10s and 100s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

Fact Learning Multiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

29

x2 Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

Fives Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

Nifty Nines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

Ones Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

31

Tricky Zeros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

31

Fours Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

32

Threes Fact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

32

Mental Computation Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Front-End Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

Break Up and Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36

Finding Compatibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

Mental Computation Subtraction

...........................

39

Back Down Through 10s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

Up Through 10s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

Estimation Addition and Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

Front-End Addition and Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

44

Rounding in Addition and Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

46

Adjusted Front-End Addition and Subtraction

..............

47

Appendix 1 Thinking Strategies in Mental Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

Appendix 2 Scope and Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

Mental Math in the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum

Mental math in this guide refers to fact learning, mental computation, and
computational estimation. The Atlantic Canada Mathematics Curriculum
supports the acquisition of these skills through the development of thinking
strategies across grade levels.

Mental math refers to fact learning, mental computation, and

computational estimation. The Atlantic Canada Mathematics
Curriculum supports the acquisition of these skills through the
development of thinking strategies across grade levels.

Pre-Operational Skills
Many children begin school with a limited understanding of number and
number relationships. Counting skills, which are essential for ordering and
comparing numbers, are an important component in the development of
number sense. Counting on, counting back, concepts of more and less,
and the ability to recognize patterned sets, all mark advances in childrens
development of number ideas.

Basic facts are mathematical operations for which some

students may not be conceptually prepared.

Basic facts are mathematical operations for which some students may not
be conceptually prepared. As a minimum, the following skills should be in
place before children are expected to acquire basic facts.

Students can immediately name the number that comes after a given
number from 0-9, or before a given number from 2-10.
When shown a familiar arrangement of dots # 10 on ten frames, dice,
or dot cards, students can quickly identify the number without
counting.

Mental Math Grade 3

For numbers # 10 students can quickly name the number that is

one-more, one-less; two-more, two-less. (the concept of less tends to
be more problematic for children and is related to strategies for the
subtraction facts)

Mental mathematics must be a consistent part

of instruction in computation from primary
through the elementary and middle grades.

Mental Math Grade 3

Curriculum Outcomes

Thinking Strategies

Grade 1
B7- use mental strategies to find sums
to 18 and differences from 18 or
less
B8- memorize simple addition and/or
subtraction facts from among those
for which the total is 10 or less
C5- use number patterns to help solve
addition and subtraction sentences

P. 28
Doubles Facts for addition and
subtraction facts
P. 36
Using patterns to learn the facts
Commutative property (3+2 = 2+3)

Grade 2
B5-

develop and apply strategies to

learn addition and subtraction facts
B11- estimate the sum or difference
of two 2-digit numbers

Fact learning is a mental

exercise with an oral and/or
visual prompt; the focus is
oral, rather than paper-and
pencil; drills should be short
with immediate feedback over an
extended period of time.

P. 22

Doubles plus 1
Make 10 (bridging to 10)
Two-apart facts; double in-between
Subtraction as think addition
Compensation
Balancing for a constant difference

P. 30 (Estimation)

Rounding both numbers to the

nearest 10

Round one number up and one

number down

Front-end estimation

Grade 3
B11/12-

mentally add and subtract

two-digit and one-digit
numbers, and rounded
numbers.
B9- continue to estimate in addition and
subtraction situations
B10- begin to estimate in multiplication
and division situations
C3 - use and recognize the patterns in a
multiplication table

Mental Math Grade 3

P. 34
Make 10
Compatible numbers (partner
numbers)
Front-end addition
Back up through ten (counting on)
Compensation
Balancing for a constant difference
P. 28
Commutative property for
multiplication (3x2 = 2x3)
Division as think multiplication
Helping facts

Curriculum Outcomes

Thinking Strategies

Grade 4
B9 -

demonstrate a knowledge of the

multiplication facts to 9 x 9
B14 - estimate the product or quotient of
2- or 3-digit numbers and single
digit numbers
B15 - mentally solve appropriate
addition and subtraction
computations
B16 - mentally multiply 2-digit numbers
by 10 or 100
C2 - apply the pattern identified when
multiplying by increasing powers
of 10

P. 32
Doubles
Clock-facts for 5s
Patterns for 9s
Helping facts
P. 36 (Estimation)
Rounding
Front-end
Clustering of Compatibles
P. 38
Compatibles for division
P. 40
Front-end addition
Compensation
Up through 100 (counting on)
Back down through 100 (counting
back)
Compatible numbers
Place-value-change strategy for
mentally multiplying by 10, 100

Mental Math Grade 3

Curriculum Outcomes

Thinking Strategies

Grade 5
B10- estimate sums and differences
involving decimals to thousandths
B11- estimate products and quotients of
two whole numbers
B12- estimate products and quotients of
decimal numbers by single-digit
whole numbers
B15- multiply whole numbers by 0.1,
0.01, and 0.001 mentally
C2recognize and explain the pattern
in dividing by 10, 100, 1000 and in
multiplying by 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001
B13- perform appropriate mental
multiplications with facility
By grade 5, students should
possess a variety of strategies
to compute mentally. It is
important to recognize that these
strategies develop and improve
over the years with regular
practice.

P. 40 to 41 (Estimation)
Rounding one up, one down
Looking for compatibles that make
approximately 10, 100, 1000
Front-end
P. 44
Place-value-change strategy for
mentally multiplying by 10, 100, 1000
Halve-double strategy for
multiplication
Front-end multiplication
Compensation
P. 46 to 50
Place-value-change strategy for
mentally dividing by 10, 100, 1000
Place-value-change strategy for
mentally multiplying by 0.1, 0.01,
0.001

Grade 6
B9- estimate products and quotients
involving whole numbers only,
whole numbers and decimals, and
decimals only
B10- divide numbers by 0.1, 0.01, and
0.001 mentally
C2- use patterns to explore division by
0.1, 0.01, and 0.001
B11- calculate sums and differences in
relevant contexts using the most
appropriate method

P. 40 (Estimation)
Rounding one up, one down for
multiplication
Front-end method for multiplication
and division
P. 42 and 50
Place-value-change strategy for
mentally dividing by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001
P. 44
Compensation in multiplication
Front-end

Students should perform mental computations with facility using

strategies outlined in the Mental Math Guides.

Mental Math Grade 3

Definitions and Connections

Fact learning refers to the acquisition of the 100 number facts relating to
the single digits 0-9 in each of the four operations. Mastery is defined by a
correct response in 3 seconds or less.
Mental computation refers to using strategies to get exact answers by
doing most of the calculations in ones head. Depending on the number of
steps involved, the process may be assisted by quick jottings of sub-steps
to support short term memory.
Computational estimation refers to using strategies to get approximate
answers by doing calculations mentally.
Students develop and use thinking strategies to recall answers to basic
facts. These are the foundation for the development of other mental
calculation strategies. When facts are automatic, students are no longer
using strategies to retrieve them from memory.
Basic facts and mental calculation strategies are the foundations for
estimation. Attempts at estimation are often thwarted by the lack of
knowledge of the related facts and mental math strategies.

Mental Math Grade 3

Rationale
In modern society, the development of mental computation skills needs to
be a goal of any mathematical program for two important reasons. First of
all, in their day-to-day activities, most peoples calculation needs can be
met by having well developed mental computational processes. Secondly,
while technology has replaced paper-and-pencil as the major tool for
complex computations, people still need to have well developed mental
strategies to be alert to the reasonableness of answers generated by
technology.

In modern society, the development of mental computation skills

needs to be a goal of any mathematics program.

Besides being the foundation of the development of number and

operation sense, fact learning is critical to the overall development of
mathematics. Mathematics is about patterns and relationships and many of
these are numerical. Without a command of the basic facts, it is very
difficult to detect these patterns and relationships. As well, nothing
empowers students more with confidence, and a level of independence in
mathematics, than a command of the number facts.

...nothing empowers students more with confidence, and a level of

independence in mathematics, than a command of the number
facts.

Teaching Mental Computation Strategies

The development of mental math skills in the classroom should go beyond
drill and practice by providing exercises that are meaningful in a
mathematical sense. All of the strategies presented in this guide
emphasize learning based on an understanding of the underlying logic of
mathematics.
Mental Math Grade 3

While learning addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts, for

instance, students learn about the properties of these operations to
facilitate mastery. They apply the commutative property of addition and
multiplication, for example, when they discover that 3 + 7 is the same as 7
+ 3 or that 3 x 7 = 7 x 3. Knowing this greatly reduces the number of facts
that need to be memorized. They use the distributive property when they
learn that 12 x 7 is the same as (10 + 2) x 7 = (7 x 10) + (2 x 7) which is
equal to 70 + 14 = 84.

Understanding our base ten system of numeration is

key to developing computational fluency. At all
grades, beginning with single digit addition, the special
place of the number 10 and its multiples is stressed.

Understanding our base ten system of numeration is key to developing

computational fluency. At all grades, beginning with single digit addition,
the special place of the number 10 and its multiples is stressed. In addition,
students are encouraged to add to make 10 first, and then add beyond the
ten. Addition of ten and multiples of ten is emphasized, as well as
multiplication by 10 and its multiples.
Connections between numbers and the relationship between number facts
should be used to facilitate learning. The more connections that are
established, and the greater the understanding, the easier it is to master
facts. In multiplication, for instance, students learn that they can get to 6 x 7
if they know 5 x 7, because 6 x 7 is one more group of 7.
Introducing Thinking Strategies to Students
In general, a strategy should be introduced in isolation from other
strategies. A variety of practice should then be provided until it is
mastered, and then it should be combined with other previously learned
strategies. Knowing the name of a strategy is not as important as knowing
how it works. That being said, however, knowing the names of the
strategies certainly aids in classroom communication. In the mental math
guides for each grade, strategies are consistently named; however, in
some other resources, you may find the same strategy called by a different
name.

Mental Math Grade 3

When introducing a new strategy, use the chalkboard, overhead or LCD

projector, to provide students with an example of a computation for which
the strategy works. Are there any students in the class who already have a
strategy for doing the computation in their heads? If so, encourage them to
explain the strategy to the class with your help. If not, you could share the
strategy yourself.
Explaining the strategy should include anything that will help students see
its pattern, logic, and simplicity. That might be concrete materials,
diagrams, charts, or other visuals. The teacher should also think aloud to
model the mental processes used to apply the strategy and discuss
situations where it is most appropriate and efficient as well as those in
which it would not be appropriate at all.

Explaining the strategy should include anything that will help

students see its pattern, logic, and simplicity. That might be
concrete materials, diagrams, charts, or other visuals.

In the initial activities involving a strategy, you should expect to have

students do the computation the way you modeled it. Later, however, you
may find that some students employ their own variation of the strategy. If it
is logical and efficient for them, so much the better. Your goal is to help
students broaden their repertoire of thinking strategies and become more
flexible thinkers; it is not to prescribe what they must use.

Your goal is to help students broaden their repertoire of thinking

strategies and become more flexible thinkers; it is not to prescribe
what they must use.

You may find that there are some students who have already mastered the
simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts with
single-digit numbers. Once a student has mastered these facts, there is no
need to learn new strategies for them. In other words, it is not necessary to
re-teach a skill that has been learned in a different way.
Mental Math Grade 3

On the other hand, most students can benefit from the more difficult
problems even if they know how to use the written algorithm to solve them.
The emphasis here is on mental computation and on understanding the
place-value logic involved in the algorithms. In other cases, as in
multiplication by 5 (multiply by 10 and divide by 2), the skills involved are
useful for numbers of all sizes.

Practice and Reinforcement

In general, it is the frequency rather than the
length of practice that fosters retention. Thus
daily, brief practices of 5-10 minutes are most likely
to lead to success.

In general, it is the frequency rather than the length of practice that fosters
retention. Thus daily, brief practices of 5-10 minutes are most likely to lead
to success. Once a strategy has been taught, it is important to reinforce it.
The reinforcement or practice exercises should be varied in type, and focus
as much on the discussion of how students obtained their answers as on
the answers themselves.
The selection of appropriate exercises for the reinforcement of each
strategy is critical. The numbers should be ones for which the strategy
being practiced most aptly applies and, in addition to lists of number
expressions, the practice items should often include applications in
contexts such as money, measurements and data displays. Exercises
should be presented with both visual and oral prompts and the oral
prompts that you give should expose students to a variety of linguistic
descriptions for the operations. For example, 5 + 4 could be described as:

10

the sum of 5 and 4

4 added to 5
5 add 4
5 plus 4
4 more than 5
5 and 4 etc.

Mental Math Grade 3

Response Time
Basic Facts
In the curriculum guide, fact mastery is described as a correct response in
3 seconds or less and is an indication that the student has committed the
facts to memory. This 3-second-response goal is a guideline for teachers
and does not need to be shared with students if it will cause undue anxiety.
Initially, you would allow students more time than this as they learn to apply
new strategies, and reduce the time as they become more proficient.

This 3-second-response goal is a guideline for teachers and does

not need to be shared with students if it will cause undue anxiety.

Mental Computation Strategies

With other mental computation strategies, you should allow 5 to 10
seconds, depending on the complexity of the mental activity required.
Again, in the initial stages, you would allow more time, and gradually
decrease the wait time until students attain a reasonable time frame. While
doing calculations in ones head is the principal focus of mental
computation strategies, sometimes in order to keep track, students may
need to record some sub-steps in the process. This is particularly true in
computational estimation when the numbers may be rounded. Students
may need to record the rounded numbers and then do the calculations
mentally for these rounded numbers.
In many mental math activities it is reasonable for the teacher to present a
mental math problem to students, ask for a show of hands, and then call on
individual students for a response. In other situations, it may be more
effective when all students participate simultaneously and the teacher has
a way of checking everyones answers at the same time. Individual
response boards or student dry-erase boards are tools which can be used
to achieve this goal.

Mental Math Grade 3

11

Struggling Students and Differentiated Instruction

It is imperative that teachers identify the best way to
maximize the participation of all students in mental
math activities.

It is imperative that teachers identify the best way to maximize the

participation of all students in mental math activities. Undoubtedly there will
be some students who experience considerable difficulty with the strategies
assigned to their grade and who require special consideration. You may
decide to provide these students with alternative questions to the ones you
are expecting the others to do, perhaps involving smaller or more
manageable numbers. Alternatively, you may just have the student
complete fewer questions or provide more time.

The more senses you can involve when introducing the

facts, the greater the likelihood of success for all
students, but especially for students experiencing difficulty.

There may be students in the upper grades who do not have command of
the basic facts. For the teacher, that may mean going back to strategies at
a lower grade level to build success, and accelerating them vertically to
help students catch up. For example, if the students are in grade 6 and
they dont yet know the addition facts, you can find the strategies for
teaching them in the grade 2 Mental Math Guide and the grade 2
Curriculum Guide. The students, however, are more intellectually mature,
so you can immediately apply those same strategies to tens, hundreds,
and thousands, and to estimation of whole numbers and decimal sums.
The more senses you can involve when introducing the facts, the greater
the likelihood of success for all students, but especially for students
experiencing difficulty.

12

Mental Math Grade 3

Many of the thinking strategies supported by research and outlined in the

curriculum advocate for a variety of learning modalities.
For example:
Visual (images for the addition doubles; hands on a clock for the
times-five facts)
Auditory (silly sayings and rhymes: 6 times 6 means dirty tricks;
6 x 6 is 36")
Patterns in Number (the product of an even number multiplied by 5 ends
in 0 and the tens digit is half of the number being multiplied)
Tactile (ten frames, base ten blocks)
Helping Facts (8 x 9 = 72, so 7 x 9 is one less group of 9; 72 - 9 = 63)
Whatever differentiation you make it should be to facilitate the students
development in mental computation, and this differentiation should be
documented and examined periodically to be sure it is still necessary.

Combined Grade Classrooms

What you do in these situations may vary from one strategy to another.
Sometimes the students may be all doing the same strategy, sometimes
with the same size or type of number, sometimes with different numbers.
For example, in a combined grade 2-3 class, students might be working on
the make ten strategy for addition. The teacher would ask the grade 2
students questions such as 9 + 6 or 5 + 8, while the grade 3 students
would be given questions such as 25 + 8 or 39 + 6; the same strategy is
applied, but at different levels of difficulty.
Other times, you may decide to introduce different strategies at different
times on the first day, but conduct the reinforcements at the same time on
subsequent days using the appropriate exercises for each grade level.
It is important to remember that there will be students in the lower grade
who can master some, or all, the strategies expected for the higher grade,
and some students in the higher grade who will benefit from the
reinforcement of the strategies from the lower grade.

Mental Math Grade 3

13

Assessment
Your assessment of mental computation should take a variety of forms. In
addition to the traditional quizzes that involve students recording answers
to questions that you give one-at-a-time in a certain time frame, you should
also record any observations you make during the practice sessions. You
should also ask students for oral responses and explanations, and have
them explain strategies in writing. Individual interviews can provide you
with many insights into a students thinking, especially in situations where
paper-and-pencil responses are weak.

Individual interviews can provide you with

many insights into a students thinking,
especially in situations where paper-and-pencil
responses are weak.

Timed Tests of Basic Facts

Some of the former approaches to fact learning were based on
stimulus-response; that is, the belief that students would automatically give
the correct answer if they heard the fact over-and-over again. No doubt,
many of us learned our facts this way. These approaches often used a
whole series of timed tests of 50 to 100 items to reach the goal.

... the thinking strategy approach prescribed by

our curriculum is to teach students strategies that
can be applied to a group of facts with mastery
being defined as a correct response in 3 seconds or
less.

In contrast, the thinking strategy approach prescribed by our curriculum is

to teach students strategies that can be applied to a group of facts with
mastery being defined as a correct response in 3 seconds or less. The
traditional timed test would have limited use in assessing this goal. To be
sure, if you gave your class 50 number facts to be answered in 3 minutes
14

Mental Math Grade 3

and some students completed all, or most, of them correctly, you would
expect that these students know their facts. However, if other students only
completed some of these facts and got many of those correct, you wouldnt
know how long they spent on each question and you wouldnt have the
information you need to assess the outcome. You could use these sheets
in alternative ways, however.
For example:
Ask students to quickly circle the facts which they think are hard for
them and just complete the others. This type of self assessment can
provide teachers with valuable information about each students level of
confidence and perceived mastery.
Ask students to circle and complete only the facts for which a specific
strategy would be useful. For example, circle and complete all the
double-plus-1" facts.
Ask them to circle all the make ten facts and draw a box around all
two-apart facts. This type of activity provides students with the
important practice in strategy selection and allows the teacher to assess
whether or not students recognize situations for which a particular
strategy works.

Parents and Guardians:

Partners in Developing Mental Math Skills
Parents and guardians are valuable partners in reinforcing the strategies
you are developing in school. You should help parents understand the
importance of these strategies in the overall development of their childrens
mathematical thinking, and encourage them to have their children do
mental computation in natural situations at home and out in the community.
Through various forms of communication, you should keep parents abreast
of the strategies you are teaching and the types of mental computations
they should expect their children to be able to do.

Mental Math Grade 3

15

A.

Fact Learning Addition

Reviewing Addition Facts and Fact Learning Strategies

Mastery of the addition facts with sums to 18 is the expectation in Grade 2.
At the beginning of grade 3, it is important to ensure that students review
these facts and the fact learning strategies from the previous grades.
Addition Facts With Sums to 18
Doubles
1+1
2+2
3+3
4+4
5+5
6+6
7+7
8+8
9+9
Near Doubles
2+3 3+2
3+4 4+3
4+5 5+4
5+6 6+5
6+7 7+6
7+8 8+7
8+9 9+8
Plus 1 Facts
2+1 1+2
3+1 1+3
4+1 1+4
5+1 1+5
6+1 1+6
7+1 1+7
8+1 1+8
9+1 1+9

Mental Math Grade 3

Plus 2 Facts
3+2 2+3
4+2 2+4
5+2 2+5
6+2 2+6
7+2 2+7
8+2 2+8
9+2 2+9
Plus 3
4+3 3+4
5+3 3+5
6+3 3+6
7+3 3+7
8+3 3+8
9+3 3+9
2-Apart Facts
1+3 3+1
2+4 4+2
3+5 5+3
4+6 6+4
5+7 7+5
6+8 8+6
7+9 9+7

Plus or Minus 0
Have students model simple
story problems using counters
and a two-part mat. For
example, Mark found 4 golf
balls on Saturday (student puts
4 counters on one side of the
mat). He didnt find any balls on
Sunday. How many balls did
Mark find altogether? (Student
is unable to put any counters
on the other part of the mat, so
the total answer remains 4).
Make 10 Facts
2+8
8+2
3+8
8+3
4+8
8+4
5+8
8+5
6+8
8+6
7+8
8+7
9+8
8+9
2+9
9+2
3+9
9+3
4+9
9+4
5+9
9+5
6+9
9+6
7+9
9+7
7+3
3+7
4+7
7+4
5+7
7+5
6+7
7+6
7+7

19

A mental strategy is a way of thinking that helps complete a fact

quickly. It must be done mentally and it must be efficient.
Students who have mastered the number facts no longer rely
on thinking strategies to recall them.

Addition Facts Extended to 10s and 100s

The following are the addition fact strategies with examples, and examples
of the same facts applied to 10s, and 100s:
a) Doubles Facts: 4 + 4, 40 + 40, 400 + 400
b) Plus One Facts: (next number) 5 + 1, 50 + 10, 500 + 100
c) Plus Two Facts: (2-more-than facts) 7 + 2, 70 + 20, 700 + 200
d) Plus Three Facts: 6 + 3, 60 + 30, 600 + 300
e) Near Doubles: (1-apart facts) 3 + 4, 30 + 40, 300 + 400
f) Plus Zero Facts: (no-change) 8 + 0, 80 + 0, 800 + 0
g) Doubles Plus 2 Facts: (double in-between or 2-apart facts) 5 + 3,
50 + 30, 500 + 300
h) Make 10 Facts: 9 + 6, 90 + 60, 900 + 600; 8 + 4, 80 + 40, 800 + 400
I) Make 10 Extended: (with a 7) 7+ 4, 70 + 40, 700 + 400
Doubles Facts
There are only ten doubles from 0 + 0 to 9 + 9 and most students learn
them quickly. The doubles posters, which have been specially created for
classroom use, provide a visual context for these facts. Grade 3 teachers
should briefly review the addition doubles and then extend to 10s and
100s.
Practice Items

20

40 + 40 =

20 + 20=

200 + 200 =

70 + 70 =

10 + 10 =

400 + 400 =

90 + 90 =

80 + 80 =

500 + 500 =

800 + 800 =

30 + 30 =

900 + 900 =

100 + 100 =

300 + 300 =

700 + 700 =
Mental Math Grade 3

Near-Doubles (1-Apart Facts)

The near-doubles are also called the doubles plus one facts and include
all combinations where one addend is one more than the other. The
strategy is to double the smaller number and add one.
For example: 6 +7 is double 6, plus 1.
Review these near-doubles facts and then extend to 10s and 100s

Practice Items
Numbers in the 10s
30 + 40 =

30 + 2 0 =

70 + 80 =

50 + 60 =

20 + 30 =

10 + 20 =

80 + 90 =

60 + 70 =

50 + 40 =

400 + 500 =

700 + 800 =

800 + 900 =

400 + 300 =

900 + 800 =

300 + 200 =

200 + 100 =

700 + 600 =

600 + 700 =

600 + 500 =

300 + 400 =

Numbers in the 100s

Mental Math Grade 3

21

2-Apart Facts (Double Plus 2 Facts)

These are facts whose addends differ by 2, such as 3 + 5, 4 + 6, or 5 + 7.
There are two possible strategies each depending on knowledge of the
doubles.
Double the smaller number and add 2. For example, 4 + 6 is double 4
plus 2 more.
Double the number in between. For example, for 5 + 7, you can double
6 which is doubling the number between 5 and 7, and that makes 12.
Review the 2-Apart facts and then extend to 10s and 100s.
Examples
a)
30 + 50 = double 30 plus 20 = 60 + 20 = 80
b)

70 + 90 = (70 + 10) + (90 - 10) or 80 + 80 = 160

Practice Items
Numbers in the 10s

22

40 + 60 =

30+ 10 =

60 + 80 =

20+ 40 =

90 + 70 =

50+ 30 =

10 + 30 =

40 + 20 =

30 + 50 =

60 + 40 =

50 + 70 =

70 + 50 =

80 + 60 =

70 + 90 =

Mental Math Grade 3

Numbers in the 100s

100 + 300 =

700 + 900 =

700 + 500 =

800 + 600 =

300 + 500 =

600 + 400 =

200 + 400 =

300 + 100 =

400 + 600 =

400 + 200 =

500 + 700 =

600 + 800 =

900 + 700 =

500 + 300 =

Plus Zero Facts (No Change)

Zero is known as the Identity Element for Addition because when you add
0 to any number, you end up with that number. Students need to have a
good understanding of the meaning of zero and of addition (7 + 0 = 7,
0 + 7 = 7) and recognize that adding 0 makes no change.
Practice Items
5+0=

90 + 0 =

800 + 0 =

0+9=

50 + 0 =

300 + 0 =

6+0=

0 + 40 =

0 + 400 =

Make 10 or 100
Make Ten is a thinking strategy introduced in grade 2 for addition facts
which have an 8 or a 9 as one of the addends and can even be extended
to facts which involve a 7. To help develop this strategy, students use two
ten frames and counters to model these number facts and then rearrange
the counters so that the facts read as 10 plus some more.
For example, students model the make ten fact 8 + 6 with 8 counters on
one ten frame and 6 on the other. Then they move 2 counters from the 6
and give it to the 8 to make 10 + 4. Students should understand that the
purpose of this strategy is to get a 10 which is easy to add. In order for this
to be an effective strategy, students must be able to immediately recognize
all the numbers between 10 and 20 as the teen numbers and to know, for
example, that 10 + 6 = 16 without hesitation. Considerable work with ten
frames is required to help students understand the relationship before they
are expected to perform the process mentally.
Mental Math Grade 3

23

In order for the Make-Ten strategy to be effective,

students must be able to immediately recognize all the
numbers between 10 and 20 as the teen numbers and
to know, for example, that 10 + 6 = 16 without hesitation.

In Grade 3, students apply a make 10s strategy to sums involving

single-digit numbers added to 2-digit numbers, and the addition of two
2-digit numbers which are both multiples of 10.
Examples
For 28 + 6, think, 28 plus 2 (from the 6) is 30, and 30 plus 4 (the rest of
the 6) is 34.
For 80 + 40, think, 80 plus 20 (from the 40) is 100, and 100 plus 20 (the
rest of the 40) equals 120.
Practice Items
4 + 18 =

18 + 8 =

70 + 30 =

19 + 8 =

19 + 4 =

80 + 70 =

17 + 5 =

30 + 90 =

30 + 80 =

4 +18 =

80 + 30 =

80 + 40 =

19 + 6 =

50 + 80 =

70 + 70 =

6 +18 =

90 + 30 =

70 + 60 =

19 + 5 =

60 + 80 =

40 + 90 =

8 + 19 =

40 + 70 =

50 + 90 =

17 + 6 =

60 + 90 =

Add your own practice items

Plus One, Plus Two, Plus Three Facts
The thinking strategy for addition facts which have 1 or 2 as one of the
addends is the one-more-than, two-more-than relationship. If students have
not yet developed these relationships, then counting on can be used.
Counting on can also be used for facts that have 3 as one of the addends.

24

Mental Math Grade 3

A common error occurs when students include the starting number as one
of their counts. For example, for 7 + 3, some students will think, Seven,
eight, nine The use of a number line in the development of this counting
strategy will help correct this difficulty.
Teachers should exercise caution when introducing counting as a thinking
strategy. Many students will try to extend it to other number facts and not
realize how slow and inefficient the strategy can be. Teachers must help
students to recognize when it is appropriate and inappropriate to use
counting as a strategy for number facts.
Examples
For 70 + 20, think, 70: 8090
For 500 + 300, think, 500: 600700800
Practice Items
70 + 20 =

60 + 20 =

30 + 20 =

40 + 20 =

50 + 20 =

10 + 20 =

80 + 20 =

200 + 700 =

600 + 200 =

300 + 200 =

200 + 400 =

800 + 200 =

500 + 200 =

50 + 30 =

90 + 30 =

80 + 30 =

30 + 60 =

30 + 10 =

30 + 70 =

20 + 30 =

40 + 30 =

400 + 300 =

600 + 300 =

700 + 300 =

100 + 300 =

900 + 300 =

300 + 800 =

400 + 500 =

200 + 300 =

300 + 500 =

Add your own practice items

Mental Math Grade 3

25

B.

Fact Learning Subtraction

After students have mastered each cluster of addition
facts, it is appropriate to have them learn the
corresponding subtraction facts. Many students will
apply a think-addition strategy for all subtraction facts.

Subtraction Facts and Fact Learning Strategies

The subtraction facts are first introduced in grade 1, but are emphasized
more in grades 2 and 3. They are directly related to the addition facts
with sums to 18 and should be completed using a think addition
strategy. As students master groups of addition facts, it is appropriate to
introduce the related subtraction facts so that they can apply their
knowledge in a different way. For example, if students have mastered
the addition doubles, they should be presented with subtraction facts
such as 12 6 = and think, 6 plus what equals 12? Double six is twelve,
therefore 12 6 = 6.
There are other thinking strategies, as well, that will help students
master the subtraction facts. For example:

Up Through 10:
This strategy involves counting the difference between the two numbers
by starting with the smaller number, keeping track of the distance to ten,
and then adding this amount to the rest of the distance to the greater
number.
Examples
a) For 12 7, think, Starting at 7, its 3 to get to 10 and then 2 more to
get to 12, so thats 5 altogether
b) For 16 9, think, Its 1 from 9 to get to 10, and then 6 more to 16, so
thats 7 altogether
Back Down Through 10:
With this strategy, you start with the larger number and subtract part of the
subtrahend to get to 10, and then subtract the rest of the subtrahend.
Examples
a) For 15 8, think,15 subtract 5 (one part of the 8) gets me to 10, and
then 3 more (the rest of the 8) takes me to 7.
b) For 13 4, think, 13 subtract 3 is 10, and then 1 more takes me to 9
26

Mental Math Grade 3

 Subtraction Facts With Minuends to 18

Doubles

Plus 2 Facts

Make Ten Facts

2-1

12-6

5-2

5-3

10-2

10-8

4-2

14-7

6-2

6-4

11-3

11-8

6-3

16-8

7-2

7-5

12-4

12-8

8-4

18-9

8-2

8-6

13-5

13-8

9-2

9-7

14-6

14-8

10-2

10-8

15-7

15-8

11-2

11-9

17-9

17-8

11-2

11-9

10-5
Near Doubles
5-2

5-3

7-3

7-4

Plus 3 Facts

12-3

12-9

9-4

9-5

7-3

7-4

13-4

13-9

11-5

11-6

8-3

8-5

14-5

14-9

13-6

13-7

9-3

9-6

15-6

15-9

15-7

15-8

10-3

10-7

16-7

16-9

17-8

15-9

11-3

11-8

10-3

10-7

12-3

12-9

11-4

11-7

12-5

12-7
13-7

Plus 1 Facts
3-1

3-2

2-Apart Facts

13-6

4-1

4-3

4-3

4-1

14-7

5-1

5-4

6-4

6-2

6-1

6-5

8-5

8-3

7-1

7-6

10-4

10-6

8-1

8-7

12-5

12-7

9-1

9-8

14-6

14-8

10-1

10-9

16-7

16-9

Mental Math Grade 3

27

 Subtraction Facts Extended to 10s and 100s

a) Doubles and Near Doubles
60 30 =

1600 800 =

150 70 =

100 50 =

800 400 =

900 400 =

20 10 =

1800 900 =

1700 800 =

40 20 =

1000 500 =

500 200 =

180 90 =

1200 600 =

1100 500 =

140 70 =

70 30 =

1300 600 =

160 80 =

50 20 =

1500 700 =

120 60 =

130 60 =

200 100 =

50 20 =

b) Make 10s and 100s

110 30 =

140 60 =

1100 400 =

130 80 =

160 90 =

1100 900 =

130 60 =

120 70 =

1300 600 =

120 30 =

150 70 =

1400 600 =

100 80 =

1500 -800 =

1000 400 =

150 90 =

1400 500 =

1100 800 =

28

Mental Math Grade 3

C.

Fact Learning Multiplication

Multiplication Fact Learning Strategies

The concept of multiplication and its relationship to division is introduced
in grade 3. The expectation is that most students will have mastered the
multiplication facts with products to 36 by the end of the school year.
Multiplication Facts With Products to 36
Facts With 2
(Addition Doubles)
2x1
1x2
2x2
2x3
3x2
2x4
4x2
2x5
5x2
2x6
6x2
2x7
7x2
2x8
8x2
2x9
9x2
Facts With 10
(Not officially a basic fact, but
included here since our number
system is base-ten.)
10x1
1x10
10x2
2x10
10x3
3x10
10x4
4x10
10x5
5x10
10x6
6x10
10x7
7x10
10x8
8x10
10x9
9x10
10x10
Facts With 5
(Clock Facts)
5x1
1x5
5x2
2x5
5x3
3x5
5x4
4x5
5x5
5x6
6x5
5x7
7x5

Mental Math Grade 3

Facts With 9
(Patterns)
9x1
1x9
9x2
2x9
9x3
3x9
9x4
4x9
Facts With 1
(No-Change Facts)
1x1
1x2
2x1
1x3
3x1
1x4
4x1
1x5
5x1
1x6
6x1
1x7
7x1
1x8
8x1
1x9
9x1
Facts With 0
(Facts with zero have
products of zero)
0x0
0x1
1x0
0x2
2x0
0x3
3x0
0x4
4x0
0x5
5x0
0x6
6x0
0x7
7x0
0x8
8x0
0x9
9x0

Square Facts
(These facts, and
others like them, form
square arrays)
3x3
4x4
6x6
Facts With 4
(Double-Double)
4x1
1x4
4x2
2x4
4x3
3x4
4x4
4x5
5x4
4x6
6x4
4x7
7x4
4x8
8x4
4x9
9x4
Times-3 Facts
(Double-plus 1 more
set)
3x6
6x3
3x7
7x3
3x8
8x3

29

Thinking Strategies
x2 Facts (with turnarounds): 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x5, 2x6, 2x7, 2x8, 2x9
These facts are directly related to the addition doubles. The doubles
posters for grades 3 and 4 help to make this connection clear.
For example, for 4 x 2, and 2 x 4, students should think double 4 and
recall the Spider Double 4 + 4 = 8
Fives Facts (with turnarounds): 5x3, 5x4, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7
It is easy to make the connection to the multiplication facts involving 5s
using an analog clock. For example, if the minute hand is on the 6 and
students know that means 30 minutes after the hour, then the connection
to 6 5 = 30 can be made. This is why you may see the Five Facts
referred to as the clock facts. This would be the best strategy for students
who know how to tell time on an analog clock, a specific outcome from the
grade 3 curriculum.
You should also introduce the two patterns that result when numbers are
multiplied by 5:
1. For even numbers multiplied by 5, the answer always ends in zero,
and the digit in the tens place is half the other number.
So, for 8 x 5 = 40
2. For odd numbers multiplied by 5, the product always ends in 5, and
the digit in the tens place is half of the number that comes before the
other number. So 5 x 9 = 45
Nifty Nines (with turnarounds): 6x9, 7x9, 8x9, 9x9
There are two patterns in the nine-times table that students should
discover:
1. When you multiply a number by 9, the digit in the tens place in the
product is one less than the number being multiplied. For example in
6 x 9, the digit in the tens place of the product will be 5
2. The two digits in the product must add up to 9. So in this example,
the number that goes with 5 to make nine is 4. The answer, then, is
54.

30

Mental Math Grade 3

One of the values of patterns in mathematics is that they

help us do seemingly difficult things quite easily. The
nifty-nine pattern illustrates clearly one of the values of
pattern and regularity in mathematics.

Some students might also figure out their 9-times facts by multiplying first
by 10, and then subtracting. For example, for 7 x 9 or 9 x 7, you could think
7 tens is 70, so 7 nines is 70 -7, or 63.
Ones Facts (with turnarounds): 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x5, 1x6, 1x7, 1x8,
1x9
While the ones facts are the no change facts, it is important that students
understand why there is no change. Many students get these facts
confused with the addition facts involving 1. For example 6 1 means six
groups of 1 or 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 and 1 6 means one group of 6. It is
important to avoid teaching arbitrary rules such as any number multiplied
by one is that number. Students will come to this rule on their own given
opportunities to develop understanding
The Tricky Zeros Facts
As with the ones facts, students need to understand why these facts all
result in zero because they are easily confused with the addition facts
involving zero. Teachers must help students understand the meaning of the
number sentence.
For example: 6 0 means six 0s or six sets of nothing. This could be
shown by drawing six boxes with nothing in each box. 0 6 means zero
sets of 6. Ask students to use counters or blocks to build two sets of 6,
then 1 set of 6 and finally zero sets of 6 where they dont use any counters
or blocks. They will quickly realize why zero is the product. Similar to the
previous strategy for teaching the ones facts, it is important not to teach a
rule such as any number multiplied by zero is zero. Students will come to
this rule on their own, given opportunities to develop understanding.

Mental Math Grade 3

31

 Fours Facts (with turnarounds): 4x4, 4x6, 4x7, 4x8, 4x9

One strategy that works for any number multiplied by 4 is double-double.
For example, for 6 x 4, you would double the 6 (12) and then double again
(24).
Another strategy that works for any time one (or both) of the factors is
even, is to divide the even number in half, then multiply, and then double
your answer. So, for 7 x 4, you could multiply 7 x 2 (14) and then double
that to get 28. For 16 x 9, think 8 x 9 (72) and 72 + 72 = 70 + 70 (140)
plus 4 = 144.
Threes Facts (with turnarounds): 3x3, 3x4, 3x6, 3x 7, 3x8, 3x9
The strategy here, is for students to think times 2, plus another group. So
for 7 x 3 or 3 x 7, the student should think 7 times 2 is 14, plus 7 more is
21."

32

Mental Math Grade 3

D.

Mental Computation Addition

Front-End Addition (Continued from Grade 2)

This strategy is first introduced in grade 2 and involves adding the
highest place values and then adding the sums of the next place
value(s). Start by modelling the addition of two 2-digit numbers using
base ten blocks. For 24 + 35, you would use 2 rods and 4 unit cubes for
24, and 3 rods, 5 unit cubes for 35. Join these two amounts by
combining the rods first and then the unit cubes. Students should also
be given the opportunity to model addition in this manner.

Examples
For 37 + 26, think: 3 tens plus 2 tens is 5 tens, or 50; and 2 ones plus 6
ones is 8 ones (8); So 50 + 8 = 58.
For 42 + 17, think, 40 and 10 make 50 and 2 plus 7 equals 9, so 50 plus
9 is 59.
For 24 + 12, think, 20 + 10 + 30 = 60, and 4 + 2 + 1 =7; 60 plus 7
equals 67.

Practice Items
27 + 31 =

74 + 19 =

16 + 32 =

32 + 28 =

32 + 65 =

45 + 35 =

25 + 63 =

37 + 44 =

72 + 26 =

56 + 3 6 =

63 + 33 =

34 + 27 =

Mental Math Grade 3

35

Add your own practice items

Your goal for teaching mental computation should be to
show students a wide variety of mental methods, provide
opportunities where each method can be employed, and
encourage students to use mental methods regularly to
improve their skills.

Break Up and Bridge (New)

This strategy is similar to front-end addition except that you begin with all
of the first number and then add on parts of the second number
beginning with the largest place value. Again, you should start by
modelling the addition of two 2-digit numbers using base ten blocks. For
24 + 35, you would use 2 rods and 4 unit cubes for 24, and 3 rods, 5 unit
cubes for 35. Join these two amounts by combining the 2 rods and 4
units with just the 3 rods in the second number for a sum of 54. Now,
add on the remaining 5 unit cubes for a total of 59.
Students should also be given the opportunity to model addition in this
manner.
Examples
For 45 + 36, think, 45 and 30 (from the 36) is 75, and 75 plus 6 (the rest
of the 36) is 81.
For 26 + 34, think, 26 plus 30 is 56 and 56 plus 4 equals 60.
Practice Items

36

37 + 45 =

72 + 28 =

25 + 76 =

38 + 43 =

59 + 15 =

66 + 27 =

31 + 25 =

74 + 16 =

37 + 24 =

62 + 24 =

31 + 24 =

51 + 36 =

Mental Math Grade 3

Add your own practice items

Situations must be regularly provided to ensure that
students have sufficient practice with mental math
strategies and that they use their skills as required. It is
recommended that regular, maybe daily, practice be provided.

Finding Compatibles (Extension)

Compatible numbers are sometimes referred to as friendly numbers or
nice numbers in other professional resources. Some examples of
common compatible numbers include 1 and 9; 40 and 60; 75 and 25 and
300 and 700.
This strategy for addition involves looking for pairs of numbers that
combine to make a sum that will be easy to work with. In grade 3, the
focus is on numbers that add up to 10 and 100.

Practice Items
6+9+4+5+1=

5 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 4=

2+4+3+8+6=

9+5+8+1+5=

4+6+2+3+8=

2+7+6+3+8=

7+1+3+9+5=

9+4+6+5+1=

4+5+6+2+5=

30 + 20 + 70 + 80 =

60 + 30 + 40 =

50 + 15 + 25 + 5 =

75 + 95 + 25 =

25 + 20 + 75 + 40 =

Add your own practice items

Mental Math Grade 3

37

 Compensation (Extension)
This strategy involves changing one number in an addition question to
the nearest ten to make the calculation easier, carrying out the addition,
and then adjusting the answer to compensate for the original change.
Students may have already used this strategy when learning their
addition facts involving 9s in Grade 2. For example, for 9 + 7, they may
have added 10 + 7 and then subtracted 1.

Example
For 52 + 39, think, 52 plus 40 is 92, but I added 1 too many to take me
to the next 10, so I subtract one from my answer to get 91.

Practice Items
43 + 9 =

56 + 8 =

72 + 9 =

45 + 8 =

65 + 29 =

13 + 48 =

44 + 27 =

14 + 58 =

21 + 48 =

Add your own practice items

38

Mental Math Grade 3

E.

Mental Computation Subtraction

Back Down Through 10s (Extension)

This strategy extends one of the strategies students learned for fact
learning. It involves subtracting a part of the subtrahend to get to the
nearest ten or hundred, and then subtracting the rest of the subtrahend.
Examples
For 15 8, think: 15 subtract 5 (one part of the 8) is 10, and 10 subtract
3 (the other part of the 8) is 7.
For 74 6, think: 74 subtract 4 (one part of the 6) is 70 and 70 subtract
2 (the other part of the 6) is 68.
Practice Items
15 6 =

42 7 =

34 7 =

13 4 =

61 5 =

82 6 =

13 6 =

15 7 =

14 6 =

74 7 =

97 8 =

53 5 =

Add your own practice items

Mental Math Grade 3

39

 Up Through 10s (Extension)

This strategy is an extension of the Up through 10 strategy that
students learned to help master the subtraction facts.
To apply this strategy, you start with the smaller number (the
subtrahend) and keep track of the distance to the next 10, and then add
this amount to the rest of the distance to the greater number (the
minuend).
Examples
For 12 9, think, Its 1 from 9 to 10 and 2 from 10 to 12; so the
difference is
1 plus 2, or 3.
For 84 77, think, Its 3 from 77 to 80 (the next ten) and 4 more to get
to 84; so thats a difference of 7.
Practice Items
15 8 =

14 9 =

16 9 =

11 7 =

17 8 =

13 6 =

12 8 =

15 6 =

16 7 =

95 86 =

67 59 =

46 38 =

58 49 =

34 27 =

71 63 =

88 79 =

62 55 =

42 36 =

Add your own practice items

40

Mental Math Grade 3

F.

Estimation Addition and Subtraction

When asked to estimate, students often try to do the exact computation

and then round their answer to produce an estimate that they think their
teacher is looking for. Students need to see that estimation is a valuable
and useful skill, one that is used on a daily basis by many people.
Students need to see that estimation is a valuable and useful
skill, one that is used on a daily basis by many people.

Estimates can be very broad and general, or they can be

quite close to the actual answer. It all depends on the reason for estimating
in the first place, and these reasons can vary in context and according to
the needs of the individual at the time.
Help students identify situations outside of school where they would
estimate distances, number, temperature, length of time and discuss how
accurate their estimates needed to be. Place these situations on an
estimation continuum with broad, ball-park estimates at one end and
estimates that are very close to the actual answer at the other.
For example:

In mathematics, it is essential that estimation strategies are used by

students before attempting pencil/paper or calculator computations to help
them determine whether or not their answers are reasonable.

Mental Math Grade 3

43

When teaching estimation strategies, it is important to use words and

phrases such as, about, almost, between, approximately, a little more than,
a little less than, close to and near.
When teaching estimation strategies, it is important to
use words and phrases such as about, almost, between,
around, approximately, a little more/less than, close to
and nearly.

Front End Addition and Subtraction (New)

This strategy involves combining or finding the difference between only
the values in the highest place value to get a ball-park estimate. Such
estimates are adequate in many situations.
Examples
To estimate 43 + 54, think, 40 + 50 is 90.
To estimate 92 53, think, 90 subtract 50 is 40.
To estimate 437 + 541, think, 400 plus 500 is 900.
To estimate 534 254, think, 500 subtract 200 is 300.
Practice Items

44

62 + 31 =

34 + 42 =

21 + 43 =

54 + 33 =

44 + 23 =

12 + 51 =

13 + 82 =

71 + 14 =

73 + 12 =

24 + 73 =

93 62 =

32 23 =

91 42 =

72 33 =

64 23 =

84 61 =

43 12 =

54 21 =

81 54 =

73 44 =

Mental Math Grade 3

Practice Items (Contd)

234 + 432 =

703 + 241 =

741 + 138 =

423 + 443 =

341 + 610 =

816 + 111 =

647 + 312 =

512 + 224 =

632 + 207 =

534 + 423 =

327 142 =

516 234 =

928 741 =

639 426 =

804 537 =

Ongoing practice in computational estimation is a key to

developing understanding of numbers and number
operations and increasing mental process skills.

Mental Math Grade 3

45

 Rounding in Addition and Subtraction (Extension)

This strategy for addition and subtraction, first introduced in grade 2,
involves rounding the highest place value in each number and then
adding or subtracting the rounded numbers. To help support short-term
memory, it will be necessary for most students to first jot down the
rounded numbers and then do the computation mentally.
At this grade level, numbers which involve 5 or 50 in the rounding
procedure are not included in the practice items. This is introduced in
grade 4.
Examples
To estimate 27 + 31, think, 27 rounds to 30 and 31 rounds to 30, so 30
plus 30 is 60.
To estimate 348 + 230, think, 348 rounds to 300 and 230 rounds to
200, so 300 plus 200 is 500.
To estimate 87 - 32, think, 87 rounds to 90 and 32 rounds to 30, so 90
subtract 30 is 60.
To estimate 594 - 203, think, 594 rounds to 600 and 203 rounds to 200,
so 600 subtract 200 is 400.
Practice Items

46

48 + 23 =

34 + 59 =

61 + 48 =

18 + 22 =

97 + 12 =

14 + 32 =

28 + 57 =

41 + 34 =

57 14 =

84 9 =

82 59 =

36 22 =

43 8 =

54 18 =

68 34 =

99 47 =

93 12 =

326 + 590 =

218 + 411 =

290 + 570 =

520 + 679 =

680 + 124 =

530 + 360 =

420 198 =

840 715 =

970 430 =

830 580 =

870 399 =

940 642 =

260 98 =

594 301 =

780 270 =

324 176 =

Mental Math Grade 3

Add your own practice items

Adjusted Front End (New)
This strategy begins with a front-end estimate and then making an
adjustment by considering some or all the values in the other place
values. This will result in a more accurate estimate. Sometimes the
numbers in the ones do not account for another ten and therefore, do
not affect the estimation
Examples
To estimate 23 + 48, think, 20 plus 40 is 60 and 3 plus 8 would account
for about another 10; therefore, the adjusted estimate is 60 + 10 or 70.
To estimate 72 - 38, think, 70 subtract 30 is 40; the 8 would account for
about another 10; so the adjusted estimate is 30.
To estimate 31 + 22, think, 30 plus 20 is 50; the numbers in the ones
place would not account for another 10, so the best estimate is still 50.
To estimate 82 31, think, 80 subtract 30 is 50; and 1 would not
account for another 10, so the best estimate is still 50
Practice Items
28 + 33 =

47 + 31 =

76 + 13 =

62 + 29 =

39 + 64 =

38 + 34 =

48 + 25 =

82 + 17 =

54 + 28 =

29 + 53 =

Add your own practice items

Computational estimation is a mental activity; therefore,
regular oral practice, accompanied by the sharing of
strategies must be provided.

Mental Math Grade 3

47

Appendix 1
Thinking Strategies in Mental Math
Mental math proficiency represents one important dimension of
mathematical knowledge. Not all individuals will develop rapid mental
number skills to the same degree. Some will find their strength in
mathematics through other avenues, such as visual or graphic
representations or creativity in solving problems. But mental math has a
clear place in school mathematics. It is an area where many parents and
families feel comfortable offering support and assistance to their children.
The following table identifies all of the thinking strategies in Mental Math:
Fact Learning, Mental Computation and Estimation and the grade level in
which they are first introduced. These strategies are then extended and
developed in subsequent years.
For example, Front End Addition involving 2-digit numbers is first
introduced in grade 2, continued in grade 3, extended to 3-digit numbers in
grade 4, and to decimal tenths, hundredths, and thousandths in grades 5
and 6. The teachers guide for each grade level contains a complete
description of each strategy with examples and practice items.

Mental Math Grade 3

51

Strategy

Description
Grade 1

Pre-Operation
Patterned Set Recognition

Part-Part-Whole Relationships

Counting On and Back

Next Number

Ten-Frame Visualization for Numbers

0-10

One More/One Less, Two More/Two Less

Relationships

Students are presented with a number and asked for the number
that is one more, one less, two more, or two less than the number.

Addition Facts to 10
Doubles
Plus 1 Facts
Plus 2 Facts
Plus 3 Facts

Doubles posters created as visual images

Next number facts
Ten-frame, skip counting, 2-more-than relationship, counting on
Ten-frame, 2-more-than plus 1, counting on

Subtraction Facts With Minuends to 10

Think-Addition
Ten Frame Visualization

For 9 - 3, think, 3 plus what equals 9?

Visualize the minuend on a ten-frame, remove the subtrahend, to
determine the difference.
For -1, -2, -3 facts

Counting Back

Adding 10 to a Number

Students are able to identify common configuration sets of

numbers such as the dots on a standard die, dominoes and dot
cards without counting.
Recognition of two parts in a whole. Leads to the understanding
that numbers can be decomposed into component parts.
Students can count on and back from a given number 0-9.
Students are able to immediately state the number that comes
after any given number from 0-9.
Students can visualize the standard ten-frame representation of
numbers and answer questions from their visual memories.

For numbers 11-20

Grade 2

Addition Facts to 18
Near Doubles
2-Aparts
Plus zero
Make 10

Double the smaller number and add 1

Double the number in between
No change facts
For facts with 8 or 9 as addends. Eg. 7 + 9 is the same as 10 + 6

Subtraction Facts With Minuends to 18

Up Through 10

For 13 - 8, think, From 8 up to 10 is 2, and then 3 more is 5.

For 14 - 6, think, 14 - 4 gets me to 10, and then 2 more brings me

to 8.

Back Down Through 10

Addition facts extended to numbers in the 10's

2-Apart Facts: 3 + 5 is double 4, so 30 + 50 is double 40.

Front-end Addition

Highest place values are totaled first and then added to the sum of the
remaining place values.

Finding Compatibles

Looking for pairs of numbers that add easily, particularly, numbers that
add to 10.

Compensation

One or both numbers are changed to make the addition easier and the
answer adjusted to compensate for the change.

Rounding in Addition and Subtraction

(5 or 50 not involved in rounding process until
grade 4)

Round to nearest 10.

52

Mental Math Grade 3

Grade 3
Multiplication Facts With Products to 36
x 2 facts
Fives
Nifty Nines
Ones
Tricky Zeros
Fours
Threes

Introduced early in 3rd reporting period

Related to the addition doubles
Clock facts, patterns
Patterns, helping fact
No change facts
Groups of zero
Double-double
Double plus 1 more set

Break Up and Bridge

With this front-end strategy, you start with all of the first number and
add it to the highest place value in the other number, and then add on
the rest.

Front-End Estimation for Addition and

Subtraction

Add or subtract just the largest place values in each number to

produce a ball park estimate.

Adjusted Front-End Estimation for Addition

and Subtraction

Same as above, except the other place values are considered for a
more accurate estimate.
Grade 4

Make 10's, 100's, 1000's for addition

48 + 36 is the same as 50 + 34 which is 84

Multiplication Facts With Products to 81

Last Six Facts

Mastery by year-end
For facts not already covered by previous thinking strategies

Subtraction facts extended to numbers in the

10's, 100's 100's

Only 1 non-zero digit in each number eg. 600 - 400 =

Compensation (new for subtraction)

For 17-9, think, 17 - 10 is 7, but I subtracted 1 too many, so the

answer is 8."

Break Up and Bridge (new for subtraction)

For 92 - 26, think, 92 - 20 is 72 and then 6 more is 66."

Multiply by 10 and 100 using a place-valuechange strategy

The place values for a number multiplied by 100 increase 2 places.

Eg. 34 x 100; The 4 ones becomes 4 hundreds and the 3 tens
becomes 3 thousand; 3000 + 400 = 3400

Mental Math Grade 3

53

Grade 5
Division Facts With Dividends to 81
Think-Multiplication

Mastery by year-end
For 36 6, think 6 times what equals 36?

Balancing for a Constant Difference

Involves changing both number in a subtraction sentence by the

same amount to make it easier to complete. The difference between
the two numbers remains the same.
Eg. for 27 - 16, add 3 to each number and think, 30 - 19 = 11"

Multiply by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 using a placevalue-change strategy

The place values for a number multiplied by 0.1 decrease 1 place.

Eg. 34 x 0.1; The 4 ones becomes 4 tenths and the 3 tens becomes 3
ones; 3 and 4 tenths, or 3.4.

Front-End Multiplication (Distributive Principle)

Involves finding the product of the single-digit factor and the digit in
the highest place value of the second factor, and adding to this
product a second sub-product. 706 x 2 = (700 x 2) + (6 x 2) = 1412

Compensation in Multiplication

Involves changing one factor to a 10 or 100, carrying out the

multiplication, and then adjusting the product to compensate for the
change. 7 x 198 = 7 x 200 (1400) subtract 14 = 1386

Divide by 10, 100, 1000 using a place-valuechange strategy.

The place values for a number divided by 10 decrease 1 place.

Eg. 34 10; The 4 ones becomes 4 tenths and the 3 tens becomes 3
ones; 3 and 4 tenths, or 3.4.

Rounding in Multiplication

Highest place values of factors are rounded and multiplied. When

both numbers are close to 5 or 50, one number rounds up and the
other down.
Grade 6

Divide by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 using a place-valuechange strategy

The place values for a number divided by 0.01 increase 2 places.

Eg. 34 0.01; The 4 ones becomes 4 hundreds and the 3 tens
becomes 3 thousand; 3000 + 400 = 3400

Finding Compatible Factors (Associative

Property)

Involves looking for pairs of factors, whose product is easy to work

with, usually multiples of 10. For example, for 2 x 75 x 500, think, 2 x
500 = 1000 and 1000 x 75 is 75 000.

Halving and Doubling

One factor is halved and the other is doubled to make the

multiplication easier. Students would need to record sub-steps.
For example, 500 x 88 = 1000 x 44 = 44 000.

Using division facts for 10's, 100's 1000's

Dividends in the 10's, 100's, and 1000's are divided by single digit
divisors. The quotients would have only one digit that wasnt a zero.
For example, for 12 000 4, think single digit division facts.
12 4 = 3, and thousands divided by ones is thousands, so the
answer is 3000.

Partitioning the Dividend (Distributive Property)

The dividend is broken up into two parts that are more easily divided
by the divisor. For example, for 372 6, think, (360 + 12) 6,
so 60 + 2 is 62.

54

Mental Math Grade 3

FACT LEARNING

Appendix 2
Mental Math: Fact Learning, Mental Computation, Estimation (Scope and Sequence)
GRADE 1

GRADE 2

GRADE 3

Pre-Operation Strategies:
< Patterned Set Recognition for
numbers 1-6 (not dependent
on counting)
< Part-Part-Whole Relationships
< Counting on, Counting Back
< Next Number
< Ten Frame Recognition and
Visualization for Numbers 0-10
< One More/One Less and Two
More/Two Less Relationships

Addition and Subtraction

Facts
< mastery of facts with sums
and minuends to 10 by midyear
< mastery of facts with sums
and minuends to 18 by year
end

Addition
< Review and reinforce facts with sums to
18 and thinking strategies
< Addition facts extended to 2-digit
numbers. Think single-digit addition facts
and apply the appropriate place value.

Addition Facts With Sums to 10

Thinking Strategies:
< Doubles
< Plus 1 Facts
< Plus 2 Facts
< Plus 3 Facts
< Ten Frame Facts
Subtraction Facts With
Minuends to 10 Thinking
Strategies
< Think-Addition
< Ten Frame Facts
< Counting Back

MENTAL COMPUTATION

Addition:
< Adding 10 to a number without
counting

New Thinking Strategies for

Addition
< Near Doubles
< 2-Apart Facts
< Plus 0 Facts
< Make 10 Facts
New Thinking Strategies for
Subtraction Facts
< Up Through 10
< Back Down Through 10

Addition
< Addition facts extended to 2digit numbers. Think singledigit addition facts and apply
the appropriate place value.
(New)
< Front End Addition (2-digit
numbers)
< Finding Compatibles (singledigit number combinations
that make 10)
< Compensation (single-digit
numbers)
Subtraction
< Think-Addition (extended to
2-digit numbers)

Subtraction
< Review and reinforce facts with minuends
to 18 and thinking strategies.
< Subtraction facts extended to 2-digit
numbers. Think single-digit subtraction
facts and apply the appropriate place
value.
Multiplication Facts (Products to 36)
Thinking Strategies:
< x2 Facts (related to addition doubles)
< x10 Facts (patterns)
< x5 Facts (clock facts, patterns)
< x9 Facts (patterns, helping facts)
< x1 Facts (no-change facts)
< x0 Facts (products of zero)
< x4 Facts (double-double)
< x3 Facts (double plus 1 set)
Addition
< Front End Addition (continued from
Grade 2)
< Break Up and Bridge (New)
< Finding Compatibles (single digit
numbers that add to 10; 2-digit numbers
that add up to 100)
< Compensation (extended to 2-digit
numbers)
Subtraction
< Back Down Through 10s (extended to
subtraction of a single digit from a 2-digit
number)
< Up Through 10s (extended to 2-digit
numbers)

GRADE 4

Addition
Review and reinforce facts to 18 and
thinking strategies
Subtraction
< Review and reinforce facts with
minuends to 18 and thinking strategies
Multiplication
< Facts With Products to 36-Mastery by
Mid-Year
< Facts With Products to 81-Mastery by
Year End

ESTIMATION
Mental Math Grade 3

< Front End Addition and Subtraction

(New)
< Rounding in Addition and Subtraction
(extended to 3-digit numbers; 5 or 50 not
involved in the rounding procedure until
Grade 4)
< Adjusted Front End in Addition and
Subtraction (New)

Review Addition and Subtraction Facts With

Sums/Minuends to 18
Multiplication
Review and Reinforce Multiplication Facts With
Products to 81 and Thinking Strategies

GRADE 6

< Review Addition Subtraction, Multiplication and Division Facts.

< Reintroduce thinking strategies to struggling students
< See the Mental Math Teachers Guides for Grades 2-5 for
strategies and practice items

Division
Division Facts With Dividends to 81-Mastery by Year
End Using a Think-Multiplication Strategy

Thinking Strategies:
< x2 Facts (related to addition doubles)
< x10 Facts (patterns)
< x5 Facts (clock facts, patterns)
< x9 Facts (patterns, helping facts)
< x1 Facts (no-change facts)
< x0 Facts (products of zero)
< x4 Facts (double-double)
< x3 Facts (double plus 1 set)
< Last Six Facts (New; various strategies)

Addition
< Facts Extended to Addition of Numbers
in 10s, 100s, and 1000s
< Front End Addition (extended to
numbers in 1000s)
< Break Up and Bridge (extended to
numbers in 100s
< Finding Compatibles (extended to
numbers in 1000s)
< Compensation (extended to numbers in
100s)
< Make 10s, 100s, 1000s (Extension)
Subtraction
< Facts Extended to Subtraction of
Numbers in 10s, 100s, 1000s
< Back Down Through 10s (extended to
numbers in 100s)
< Up Through 10s (extended to numbers
in the 100s)
< Compensation (New for Subtraction)
< Break Up and Bridge (New for
Subtraction)
Multiplication
< Multiplying by 10 and 100 using a placevalue-change strategy rather than an
attach zeros strategy

< Rounding in Addition and

Subtraction (2-digit
numbers; 5 is not involved in
the rounding procedure until
Grade 4)

GRADE 5

< Rounding in Addition and Subtraction

(extended to 4-Digit Numbers and
involving 5, 50 and 500 in the rounding
procedure)
< Adjusted Front End in Addition and
Subtraction (extended to numbers in
1000s)

Addition
< Front End Addition (extended to decimal 10ths and
100ths)
< Break Up and Bridge (extended to numbers in
1000s and to decimal 10ths and 100ths)
< Finding Compatible (extended to decimal 10ths and
100ths)
< Compensation (extended to 1000s and to decimal
10ths and 100ths)
< Make 10s, 100s, 1000s (continued from Grade 4)
Subtraction
< Back Down Through 10s, 100s, 1000s (Extension)
< Up Through 10s - (extended to Numbers in 1000s
and to decimal 10ths and 100ths)
< Compensation - (extended to numbers in 1000s)
< Balancing for a constant difference (New)
< Break Up and Bridge (extended to numbers in
1000s)
Multiplication
< Facts Extended to 10s, 100s and 1000s
< Multiplying by 10, 100, 1000 using a Place-ValueChange strategy, rather than an attach zeros
strategy - (continued from Grade 4)
< Multiplying by 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001 using a placevalue-change strategy (New)
< Front End Multiplication (New)
< Compensation (New for Multiplication)
< Rounding in Addition and Subtraction (continued
from Grade 4
< Rounding in Multiplication (2-or-3- digit factor by
single digit factor; 2-digit by 2-digit)
< Adjusted Front End for Addition and Subtraction
(extended to decimal 10ths and 100ths)

Addition
Practice items provided for review of mental computation
strategies for addition.
< Front End
< Break Up and Bridge
< Finding Compatibles
< Compensation
< Make 10s, 100s, 1000s
Subtraction
< Back Down Through 10s, 100s, 1000s
< Up Through 10s, 100s, 1000s
< Compensation
< Balancing for a Constant Difference (continued From Grade 5)
< Break Up and Bridge (extended to numbers in the 10 000s)
Multiplication and Division
< Multiplying and Dividing by 10, 100, 1000 using a place-valuechange strategy)
< Multiplying by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 (continued from Grade 5)
< Dividing by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 using a place-value-change
strategy (New)
< Front End Multiplication (continued from Grade 5)
< Compensation (continued from Grade 5)
< Finding Compatible Factors (New)
< Halving and Doubling (New)
< Using Division Facts for 10s, 100s, 1000s (New) Dividends of
10s, 100s, 1000s divided by single-digit divisors.
< Partitioning The Dividend (New)
< Rounding in Addition and Subtraction (continued From Grade
5)
< Rounding in Multiplication (extended from Grade 5 to include
3-digits by 2-digits)
< Rounding in Division (New)

55

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