Math fact quizzes by grade: what the quiz maker opens on, K–5

1 What each grade opens on

The quiz maker starts with one question: which grade? The answer sets the source, the part of the ladder and the layout, so a teacher who only wants "a 3rd-grade fact quiz" can print straight away. Everything it picks can be changed after, and nothing is locked to a grade.

The starting point for each grade

• Kindergarten: sight words, part 1 (the first ten Dolch words). There is no math default for K, because the bank's math starts with written facts like 3 + 2, and many kindergartners are still counting objects.
• 1st grade: adding, part 1, which begins at 0 + 0.
• 2nd grade: taking away, part 1, which begins at 0 − 0.
• 3rd grade: times tables, starting with the 2 times table.
• 4th grade: dividing, starting with dividing by 2.
• 5th grade: word meanings, part 1. Fifth grade opens on vocabulary, not math, so switch the source back to dividing or times tables for a fact check.

Every grade opens with the same print settings: ten questions, three answer boxes, one version and an answer key. Grades 6 to 8 open on a reading passage instead of the ladder, so this guide stops at 5th grade. The maker writes the grade beside each source in its menu (adding is marked K–2, taking away 1–2, times tables 3–4 and dividing 3–5), which is a reminder, not a rule.

2 The ladder, part by part

The quiz bank is not a pile of random problems. It is the practice ladder that Peabody's learning games use, cut into parts that are taught together. The order inside each rung is the teaching order, so part 1 is always the easiest place to start and later parts build on it.

• Adding: 66 facts in seven parts of ten (the last part has six). Part 1 is adding zero, part 2 is adding one, part 3 is the doubles up to 10 + 10, part 4 is the pairs that make ten and adding ten, and parts 5 to 7 are the rest, such as 9 + 4 and 8 + 6.
• Taking away: 121 facts in thirteen parts. Parts 1 and 2 are taking away zero and taking a number from itself, parts 3 and 4 are taking away one, part 5 is halves of doubles like 14 − 7, parts 6 and 7 are taking from ten and teen numbers minus ten, and the later parts work up to facts like 13 − 8. The last part holds a single fact (14 − 6), so pick an earlier part for a full quiz.
• Times tables: eleven parts, one for each table from the 2s to the 12s, twelve facts in each. A part is a whole table, so "the 7 times table" means every fact with a 7 in it.
• Dividing: eleven parts, dividing by 2 through dividing by 12, twelve facts in each.

The parts of ten are labeled with their first and last fact, such as "Part 3 (10 + 1 to 10 + 10)", so you can see what is inside before you print. The quiz bank page lists every source and how many questions it holds, and is worth a look before you plan a unit.

Because a part holds ten or twelve facts and the default quiz is ten questions, a quiz from one part covers nearly the whole part. Choose five questions for a quick warm-up, or twenty if you want the whole table plus repeats from the second version.

3 Why three boxes, and where the wrong answers come from

A three-box question gives the right answer and two wrong ones. The wrong ones are not random numbers. They are the practice ladder's own near misses, the same ones the kids' games show, so each wrong box is a mistake a child might really make.

For 2 × 2, the boxes are 4, 2 and 6. For 3 × 2, they are 6, 8 and 5. The wrong answers sit close to the right one, often an answer from a neighboring fact or one off, so a student who guesses or counts carelessly is likely to land on one of them. That makes the wrong letter useful information: a child who picks 8 for 3 × 2 may be mixing up the 2s and the 4s, not just guessing.

When you want no boxes at all

Switch the layout to Fill the blank and each fact prints as 7 × 8 = with a line to write on, fifteen to a page. That is the closest thing to a classic timed fact sheet, and it removes the chance of guessing. Three boxes stays the default because it is quick to mark, and because many young students can show what they know by pointing long before they can write numbers neatly and fast.

4 Printing a fact quiz in under a minute

Once the grade and part are set, the quiz is already on the screen. A few switches change what prints.

1. Pick the number of questions: 5, 10, 15 or 20. If the part holds fewer, the maker prints what there is and says so.
2. Pick the layout: three boxes (ten to a page), fill the blank (fifteen to a page), short answer (six to a page), or exit ticket (three questions, four tickets to a page with cut lines).
3. Turn on two versions if neighbors copy. Version B has the same questions in a different order, with every question's boxes moved, so one key per version is all you need.
4. Keep the answer key on. It prints on its own page, marked for the teacher, with the letter and the answer for each question.
5. Add a bubble sheet if you want students to answer on a separate page you can mark with a stencil. It prints A, B and C circles for every question.
6. Type a title at the top, or leave the maker's own, such as "The 7 times table".

Each page has a line for a name and a date that students fill in on paper. The settings are kept in your browser and in the part of the share link after the # sign, which browsers do not send to a server. Nothing about a student is typed in, saved or sent.

If you want the same facts on the projector, the Play it live button turns the quiz into a live game where students answer on a device with a room code. The New questions button picks a fresh set from the same part.

5 Kindergarten to 2nd grade: adding and taking away

Early fact quizzes work best when they are short and when every child can read them. Ten written facts on a page is a lot for a five-year-old; five is often plenty.

• Kindergarten. The maker opens on sight words, so switch the source to adding, part 1. Read each fact aloud, have children point to or color the answer, and keep it to five questions. Part 1 is adding zero, the honest place to start.
• 1st grade. Adding parts 1 and 2 cover adding zero and adding one. Part 3 is the doubles and part 4 is making ten and adding ten. Save parts 5 to 7, where most facts cross ten, for later in the year.
• 2nd grade. Taking away opens at part 1. Pair each subtraction quiz with the adding part that holds the same numbers, so children see 8 + 2 and 10 − 2 as one family.

At these grades the quiz is a check, not a race. Don't time it. Watch who counts on fingers, who knows the answer at once and who guesses, and use that to plan small groups. If a child gets every fact in a part right twice, move them to the next part.

For daily practice between quizzes, the number line and the hundreds chart on the projector make a quick warm-up, and the math worksheet generator prints longer practice pages when you need them.

6 3rd to 5th grade: times tables and dividing

From 3rd grade the ladder moves to multiplication and division, and a quiz is one whole table. That makes it easy to follow whatever order your class teaches in. Many teachers start with the 2s, 5s and 10s; the maker lets you pick any table as a part.

• 3rd grade. The maker opens on the 2 times table. Twelve facts sit in each part, so a ten-question quiz leaves out two at random; print two versions and between them you are likely to see most of the table.
• 4th grade. The maker opens on dividing by 2. Teach each dividing part right after its times table, so the 6 times table and dividing by 6 sit in the same week.
• 5th grade. The maker opens on word meanings. For a fact check, change the source to times tables or dividing and pick the table your class finds hardest. A short fill-the-blank quiz every Friday keeps facts fresh while the main lessons move on to fractions and decimals.

If you want fact practice at speed, the math fact fluency page on the projector runs a timed round for the class. Keep the printed quiz untimed and use it to see which facts are known, and use the fluency round for practice.

7 A weekly routine that uses the ladder

Fact quizzes do the most good when they are frequent, short and acted on. A plan that fits in a normal week:

• Monday: print a ten-question quiz from this week's part and give it cold, with no review first.
• Read the slips the same day and sort them into three piles: knows it, almost, not yet.
• Tuesday to Thursday: small-group practice for the almost and not-yet piles, using the facts they missed.
• Friday: press New questions, turn on two versions, print the same part and give it again.
• Move a child to the next part when they get every question right twice in a row.
• Every few weeks, mix in an older part so earlier facts are not forgotten.

Keep records on paper or in your school's own system. The quiz maker does not keep scores or names, so a class list typed into it would only stay in your own browser, and there is no reason to type one. The retrieval practice and math fact fluency pages in the Library say what is known about frequent low-stakes checks and timed practice, with the sources, if you want the reasons behind a routine like this one.