1st Grade Magic of Math Unit 2: Addition

Build a strong foundation in addition within 20 with 1st Grade Magic of Math Unit 2! This four-week math unit takes students from understanding what addition means to using a variety of addition strategies, solving word problems, and building fact fluency.

Students develop conceptual understanding through hands-on activities, visual models, number lines, math games, partner practice, and problem solving before applying strategies to solve addition problems more efficiently.

Week 1: Introduction to Addition

Students are introduced to addition and explore what it means to add to and join groups together. They use objects, pictures, and models to represent addition situations.

Skills practiced include:

• Understanding addition as adding to a set
• Understanding addition as joining groups together
• Using pictures and objects to model addition
• Exploring part-part-whole relationships
• Connecting addition situations to equations
• Representing addition in different ways
• Solving basic addition problems

Week 2: Addition Strategies

Students begin building a toolbox of strategies that help them solve addition problems efficiently.

Skills practiced include:

• Adding zero
• Using the counting on strategy
• Counting on using a number line
• Making a ten to add
• Using ten as a benchmark number
• Finding unknown numbers in addition problems
• Using make-a-ten strategies with unknown numbers
• Selecting strategies to solve addition problems

Week 3: More Addition Strategies

Students continue developing addition fluency as they explore doubles and number relationships.

Skills practiced include:

• Using doubles facts
• Solving doubles equations with unknown numbers
• Using the doubles plus one strategy
• Understanding that addends can be added in any order
• Using the commutative property of addition
• Solving equations with unknown numbers
• Using known facts to solve new addition problems
• Building addition fact fluency

Week 4: Word Problems & Fact Practice

Students apply their addition strategies to word problems while continuing to strengthen fact fluency.

Skills practiced include:

• Solving addition word problems
• Using the PSA problem-solving strategy
• Identifying important information in a word problem
• Determining the operation needed to solve
• Representing word problems with equations
• Selecting an addition strategy to solve
• Building addition fact fluency through games and practice
• Applying addition skills within 20

What’s Included

• 20 days of detailed lesson plans
• Teacher mini-lesson materials
• Hands-on math activities
• Interactive notebook activities
• Math games and partner practice
• Daily word problem practice
• Independent practice
• Vocabulary cards
• Student practice pages
• Differentiated activities
• Assessments

This comprehensive unit helps first graders develop a strong understanding of addition concepts, strategies, and facts within 20. Students move beyond simply memorizing facts as they learn how numbers work together and develop strategies they can use to solve addition problems confidently.