Low Fact Fluency and Writing About Math. Research Project- Spring 2020- by Marybeth Rotert

1. Low fact fluency
&
writing about math
By: Marybeth Rotert

2. Problem of practice question
Can second grade students with low fact
fluency demonstrate conceptual understanding
by writing about math?

3. Description of the problem
‐ In each grade, students acquire new math skills that build their foundation
for their future math classes.
‐ When students achieve math fact fluency, abstract concepts become
significantly easier because students are better equipped to solve equations
with speed and automaticity.
‐ Standards for Mathematical Practice state that mathematically proficient
students should be able to explain their correspondences through verbal
descriptions, justify their conclusions, and construct mathematical
arguments (CSS, 2019).

4. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.OA.B.2
Fluently add and subtract within
20 using mental strategies.2 By
end of Grade 2, know from
memory all sums of two one-
digit numbers.
Common core state standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.C.7,
Fluently multiply and divide within
100, using strategies such as the
relationship between
multiplication and division (e.g.,
knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one
knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of
operations. By the end of Grade 3,
know from memory all products
of two one-digit numbers.

5. findings from Literature review
Writing about math
In the article titled, “Connecting Mathematics and Writing Workshop: It’s
Kinda Like Ice Skating”, Susan Carter writes about how she chose to bridge
mathematics and writing into her instruction to second grade students.
Carter (2009) found that “Adding writing in reflective journals to my daily
routine in math class extended my students’ thinking about the strategies they
use to problem solve in math class (p. 610). While Carter’s (2009) instructional
approach showed that writing about math led to improvements in
mathematics, her research did not specify whether her students showed an
improvement in their fact fluency.

6. findings from Literature review
Supporting students with low fact fluency
In the article titled “A License to Think on the Road to Fact Fluency”, Lisa M. Buchholz
discusses her own concerns with supporting students with low fact fluency. Buchholz
(2016) emphasizes the “importance of allowing students opportunities to express and
analyze their thinking” (p. 560). Buchholz’s (2016) article emphasizes the importance
of giving students daily strategy opportunities to increase their fact fluency.
However, the article does not mention whether Buchholz (2016) implemented a
strategy for students to write about their math thinking. This is a shortcoming in
Buchholz’s (2016) research because she explicitly states that it is important that
students learn how to articulate their thinking and analyze it next to the thinking of
their classmates (p. 562).Writing about math is an efficient way to teach students how
to articulate their thinking and allow students to share their writing with their peers.

7. Literature review
hhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1QG5ib5Z0a813ysmXXnsLD8nB5lfezQWiO0L4-UCwhJU/edit

8. Central claim
‐ My problem of practice will study whether second
grade students with low fact fluency can
demonstrate a conceptual understanding by
writing about math.
‐ This is an important topic to study because math
is a subject that students are rarely asked to write
and reflect about.
‐ For students with low fact fluency and a lack of
conceptual understanding, writing might help
them build a logical understanding and increase
their fact fluency as a result.

9. Intervention plan
Who?
In order to conduct research on
my problem of practice, I will be
working with students in my
second grade class. In this class
there are 17 students. I will
conduct my research over a 10-
day period with a group of 5
selected students. These 5
students chosen for my research
project will be selected
intentionally based on their
achievement in math. More
specifically, I will select students
who have demonstrated that they
have low fact fluency.
What?
Students will be asked to solve
addition/subtraction problems
and then write a few sentences to
explain their math thinking. I will
analyze whether these students
with low fact fluency are able to
demonstrate conceptual
understanding by writing about
math.
When/Where?
My research will take place during
our morning work time. During
morning work, I will pull these 5
students to work on a packet of
addition/subtraction problems. I
will measure their progress over
the 10-day period to assess
whether writing about math
showed any significant
improvement.

10. Intervention Plan:
How?
Analysis of
Student Data
Fact Fluency
Post-Test
10-Day
Intervention
Plan
Fact Fluency
Pre-Test
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

11. pre-test
The teacher will assess fact
fluency of
addition/subtraction facts
within 20.
-20 addition facts
-20 subtraction facts
The teacher will record data
on speed and accuracy.
Post-test
The teacher will reassess fact
fluency of addition/subtraction
facts within 20.
Pre-test and post-test are the
same.
Purpose: Assess student
growth
intervention
Over the course of 10 days,
students will complete a packet
where they will be asked to solve
addition/subtraction facts and
write an explanation to describe
what strategy they used to
solve.

12. pre/post
test

13. Data collected
Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5
Fact Fluency
Pre-Test
36/40 24/40 28/40 23/40 30/40
10- Day
Intervention
10/10 9/10 10/10 7/10 8/10
Fact Fluency
Post-Test
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Note: Teacher was unable to perform Fact-Fluency Post-Test due to
school closures.

14. Data analysis
Pre-Test Data Shows….
‐ Two students knew 30+
facts with speed and
automaticity.
‐ Three students knew 23+
facts with speed and
automaticity.
Intervention Data Shows…
‐ All students were able to
solve 7+ math facts when
writing about strategies used.
‐ This suggests… writing
about math strategies
increases conceptual
understanding.

15. Theorized results: fact fluency post-test
‐ The Pre/Post-Test remain the same to assess student growth after the 10-
Day Intervention.
‐ The teacher was unable to perform the Fact Fluency-Post Test due to
school closures.
‐ However, it is theorized that students would perform higher on the Post-
Test than they did on the Pre-Test.
‐ Why? Research shows that writing about math helps students make
sense of problems, express early ideas about concepts, unearth confusion,
and justify a claim with evidence (Van de Walle, 2017, p.48).

16. Intervention: Student work Sample 1

17. Intervention: Student work sample 2
17

18. Intervention: Student work sample 3

19. Place your screenshot here
Existing
Misconception 1
This student incorrectly
uses the “counting
backwards” strategy
which leads to an
incorrect answer. This
student would benefit
from an alternative
strategy such as
“Doubles Plus 2”.

20. Existing
Misconception 2
This student incorrectly
uses the “counting up”
strategy which leads to an
incorrect answer. This
student would benefit from
an alternative strategy
such as “Doubles Plus 1”.

21. Potential Barriers of success
‐ Why some students may not have met success with
the intervention provided:
‐ Lack of known strategies
‐ Ineffective use of strategies
‐ Difficulty applying strategies with speed
and automaticity

22. Next steps
Students Who Have Met
Success
1. Continued practice with fact
fluency and applying strategies to
solve.
1. Challenge students to write about
more than one way to solve an
equation.
1. Fact Fluency with 2-digit numbers.
Students Who Have Not Met
Success
1. Address misconceptions.
1. Re-teach and model how to use
strategies to solve equations.
1. Repeated practice with fact fluency
and writing about applied
strategies used to solve.

23. Personal reflection: impact on teaching
‐ Writing can be used as an assessment tool to better understand
mathematical thinking.
‐ Writing about math can increase problem-solving skills and
reasoning.
‐ Writing about math can increase fact fluency and help students
develop conceptual understanding.
‐ Implementing math journals as an instructional tool.

24. references