Achieve Fluency with Addition and Subtraction within 10

Fluency is knowing small facts fast.

Addition and subtraction facts sit together.

Read it: See the empty spaces

You have 8 counters in the frame. 2 cells sit empty. See the 2 without counting: 8 + 2 = 10, and 10 − 8 = 2.

1. Look at the frame: 8 counters, 2 empty cells.
2. See the empty pair without counting: 2.
3. Say both facts: 8 + 2 = 10 and 10 − 8 = 2.

Counting the empty spaces 1, 2 works, but it is slow, and you can lose a space when you look away.

2 empty spaces sit together as a pair you can see at a glance, so you do not have to touch them.

The frame is always 10, so 8 counters already tells you 2 cells are left without recounting.

To make 10, see the empty spaces instead of counting them.

5 + ___ = 10 — 5. A full frame is 10. 5 counters are in it, so 5 cells are empty.