84 Addition and Subtraction Concepts
Successful Strategies
Some of the reasons students struggle with the traditional
algorithm include the phrases that they have heard. For
example, many people say things like, “Carry the one,” when
they are actually composing a ten. Because the math language
is not accurate, the students develop misconceptions.
The partial sums concept is embedded in place value and
conceptual understanding, which help remedy algorithmic
misconceptions. Even if students successfully use the
traditional algorithm, learning the partial sums concept
invites students to strengthen conceptual understanding,
increase mental math capacity, and improve fl exibility and
fl uency.partial, part, sum,
addition, add, strategy,
equation, equalMath Words to Use
Questions at Different Levels of Cognitive Demand
Recall: What is 25 + 15?
Comprehension: How did you solve the problem?
Application: What picture could you draw to show the
partial sums?
Analysis: How would you compare the partial sums?
Evaluation: What is good about the partial sums
concept?
Synthesis: How would you design a template for
reordering partial sums?EASYCOMPLEX