About
Use these subitizing cards in a number talk setting, whether you do it as a whole class or small group. This resource uses subitizing to focus on flexible and strategic thinking in the 3rd to 5th grades and help students develop number sense around multiplication.
We know that students need concrete and representational experiences in order to develop number sense and make sense of what they are learning. But too often we jump straight to the abstract and wonder why our students don’t retain what they learn about multiplication facts. These subitizing cards can help!
Ideas for Use
How to use these cards in a number talk setting:
•Show students a card for 1-3 seconds (depending on card). Some teachers call this a “quick look.” Don’t show it for so long that students can count the objects. The idea here is to use multiplicative reasoning to figure out the number of objects.
•Ask students to raise a hand (or a thumb to chest as you might do with number talks) when they know how many objects are on the card. Allow enough thinking time for all students.
•Ask students to share.
•Show the card once again (leave it up this time) and talk about the answers/strategies that were shared.
•Encourage students to move from additive reasoning to multiplicative reasoning.
What's Included?
I've included FOUR different styles of subitizing cards:
- Rekenreks
- Ten Frames
- Dot Patterns inside Ten Frames
- Dice Patterns
For each style, representations are included for facts up to 10x10.
These are intended for printing rather than displaying on a screen. I've used some half pages and some full pages to make printing more efficient.
What Teachers Are Saying
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "We are currently doing a book study with Math Fact Fluency by Jenny Bay-Williams. We used this resource in addition to her book. Great resource!" Victoria W.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My students love it when I bring these cards out. For them it means number talk time and for me a great resource that I have used all year (even in distance learning)." Laura H.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This is a great resource to help build number sense. I love that there are multiple representations - especially the rekenreks - because I think that deepens students' understanding." Kathleen V.
