Daily Practice and Problems

The Daily Practice and Problems (DPP) is a set of short exercises that provides a structure for ongoing review and study of math concepts, skills and math facts. To support this daily routine, at least two DPP items are included for each class session. The first item is always a Bit and the others will be either Tasks, Challenges or Bits. Nine icons designate the subject matter of the DPP items.

Algebra
Computation
Data
Geometry
Math Facts
Measurement
Money
Number Sense
Time

Unit 1 Daily Practice Problems A–R

Choose a practice problem here
A Mr. Smith's Third-Grade Class,
Part 1 B Number Sentence Stories C Your Third-Grade Class D Mike and Terrence Smart E Broken Clock F More Broken Clocks G Skip Counting on the Number Line H Mr. Smith's Third-Grade Class,
Part 2 I What Time Is It Now? J Using the Number Line K Mental Arithmetic L Playing Number Line Target M More Mental Arithmetic N More Number Sentence Stories O Addition Facts Quiz:
Doubles, 2s, and 3s P Even More Number Sentence
Stories Q Addition Facts Quiz:
More Addition Facts R Sample of Beans DPP Teacher Notes

Students will need: connecting cubes, number lines, individual clocks, and the prepared Clock Master readily available.

 

The Daily Practice and Problems items provide a structure for distributed practice to:

  • systematically study basic math facts and practice computation;
  • develop concepts and skills such as number sense, mental math, telling time, and working with money; and
  • review topics from earlier units, presenting concepts in new contexts and linking ideas from unit to unit.

There are three types of items: Bits, Tasks, and Challenges. Bits are short and should take no more than five minutes to complete. They usually provide practice with a skill or the basic math facts. Tasks take ten minutes to complete. Challenges usually take longer to complete and the problems are more thought-provoking. Use them to stretch students' problem-solving and reasoning skills.

Review and Assessment of the Math Facts

Students have been developing strategies for solving the addition facts since their early years and are fairly close to gaining or have gained fluency. See the Letter Home. Use DPP items O and Q to assess students' fluency with their addition facts.

The first assessment, Addition Facts Quiz: Doubles, 2s, and 3s, contains those addition facts that can be solved using counting-on strategies and using doubles. The second test, Addition Facts Quiz: More Addition Facts, contains those facts that can be solved making tens, using tens, and reasoning from known facts.

These short assessments are less threatening and as effective as longer tests. Tests that include a small number of facts give teachers, students, and parents the information needed to continue learning and practicing the facts efficiently. The goal of the math facts assessment program is to determine the degree to which students can find answers to facts problems quickly and accurately and whether they can retain this skill over time.