Touching those points

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Touching those points
By Sue

A touch point is a point that is literally on a number that the students can "count" as they add or subtract. I was never taught touch points as a child, but on my own I used them. Since then I learned about them in school
and through my children's teachers.
For example, the number three (3). Where you would put your pencil down to write the three is the first touchpoint, where it makes a point in the middle is the second touchpoint, and where the pencil stops is the third and final touchpoint.
Therefore if you have 2 + 3. You can use the touchpoints and count the two points on the two
(those would

be at the top where you start to write the two and at the bottom where the angle starts.) and the three on three and get five.

I like the touchpoints. I use them myself when adding a huge column of numbers. However, when you get to larger numbers like seven (Three on the top line, four down the descending line), it does get confusing. (It does help in learning the fact family for 7 -- 3+4). They also work well if counting up, or subtracting back.

I teach third grade, and I still had children coming in the classroom counting on their fingers -- which to me is much slower and detrimental to memorization than touchpoints. For one thing, the touchpoints keeps the students place on the problem. Whereas with children counting on their fingers, they are much more likely to loose their place.

You could easily make your own number chart by putting red dots on the touchpoints of a number line.

I hope this helps.