Maths+Basic+Facts

=A guide to learning the basic facts.=

Unless your child is brand new to school, **__they should be able to instantly recall the first simple facts to 5:__** 5+0=5, 4+1=5, 3+2=4, 2+3=5, 1+4=5 and 0+5=5. (New children will still be learning the digits and counting all the objects to join sets.)

Alongside addition is subtraction. **__The children should know the subtraction facts__** that go with the addition. After-all, they are part of the same “family of facts.” So when your child learns 4+1=5, they should also learn 5-1=4.


 * __The children should also know the facts with 5__**: 5+1, 5+2, 5+3, 5+4, 5+5, including the rest of the family of facts for each one. Eg, 5+1=6, 1+5=6, 6-1=5, 6-5=1. (You will note that there are four facts in a family – except in the case of doubles where two facts are repeated twice. Eg, 3+3=6, 6-3=3 – no more as reversed addends appear the same.)

It is also important that the children can complete the facts through a “missing addend”. An example is 5+ _ = 9 (5 plus what equals 9?). While younger, or less capable children, may still need to work these sorts of facts out, older, or more capable children, should recognise them instantly as basic facts.


 * __The next facts to commit to memory are those to ten__, i**ncluding the doubles. (Addition, subtraction and missing addends. Eg: 5+5=10, 10-5=5, 5+ _ = 10)

To be at the “standard” expected after twelve months at school (a standard at which most children would be operating), children should be able to answer, in written form, 27/30 basic facts from those above above, in 2 ½ minutes.