Breaking Each Number Into Its Place Value Strategy

One of the first strategies students use is place value. Each number is broken up into expanded form, which makes it easier for students to mentally add.

Here are some problems you can use that support “Breaking Each Number Into Its Place Value Strategy.”

14 + 35 16 + 27 32 + 28 24 + 32 17 + 33 28 + 24 32 + 35 74 + 47 215 + 136 122 + 37 151 + 127 240 + 195 377 + 340 424 + 193

Making Landmark and Friendly Numbers Strategy

Sometimes an addition problem can be made easier by changing one of the numbers to a “friendly” or “landmark number”.

• •  Friendly numbers are numbers that end in 0. They are called friendly because once the rule for adding 0 is understood, that understanding can be extended to larger numbers that end in 0.

• •  Landmark numbers are similar to friendly numbers. Some examples are 25, 50, 75, 100.

Here are some problems you can use that support “Making Landmark or Friendly Numbers.

24 + 26 89 + 28 29 + 33 49 + 8 99 + 51 28 + 45 199 + 13 225 + 49 126 + 124 56 + 129 998 + 49 119 + 119

Doubles/Near Doubles Strategy

In this strategy, the students would need to adjust one or both numbers to make doubles or near doubles combinations.

Here are some problems you can use that support “Doubles/Near Doubles Strategy.”

35 + 36 24 + 25 24 + 27 19 + 18 49 + 52

498 + 497 124 + 128 398 + 399 148 + 149 249 + 248

Compensation Strategy

Compensation is the idea that the students can be flexible with numbers to make it easier to add. It sounds like friendly numbers, but it is a little different. The difference between “compensation” and “friendly numbers” is that compensation takes a specific amount from one addend and gives that exact amount to the other addend.

This strategy can work with any addition problem. Students will need to decide if the “compensation” strategy is the most efficient strategy for the particular problem they are working on.

Adding Up In Chunks

This is similar to the place value strategy except “adding up in chunks” keeps one addend whole and breaks up the addend in easy to use chunks.

Students can also use a number line to help keep up with their adding after they break apart the addend.

Here are some problems you can use that support “Adding Up in Chunks.”

35 + 42 32 + 55 26 + 53 38 + 33 17 + 35

345 + 457 256 + 342 237 +48 218 + 456 117 + 426