Mad Minutes

Mastering math facts - addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division - is essential in fourth grade due to advanced skills such as long division and reducing fractions.  We will use a program called, "The Mad Minute" in order to help us reach this goal.

Students will take a 1-minute mad minute each day.  The addition and subtraction mad minutes have 50 problems.  This is where we will begin for the first nine weeks.  Each day, students will take the mad minute, grade it, and record their results in graph form so they can see their daily improvement.  On Friday, students will average their results.  (Using calculators at first).  The student's highest weekly average will be their test grade for the nine weeks. 

If a student successfully achieves a weekly average of 47 (an A) or higher, he or she will drop that operation and add multiplicaiton and then division.  For the second nine weeks, the entire class will shift our attention to multiplication and division.

Students should practice their facts regularly using flash cards or on-line mad minutes.  

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