CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.B.3

Math1st GradeUnderstand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.

The standard

Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics · Operations and Algebraic Thinking

What this standard means

Students need to use addition patterns to make problems easier. They should know that addends can switch order and still have the same sum. They should also be able to group numbers in a helpful way, like making 10 before adding the last number.

Mastery looks like a student explaining, with cubes, drawings, or equations, why 4 + 7 equals 7 + 4 and why 3 + 8 + 2 can become 3 + 10. Students often get stuck thinking the order must stay fixed, or they regroup numbers without checking that all addends are still included.

Ways to teach it

  • Hands-on: Give students ten-frames and counters to build 6 + 3, then switch the addends and compare the total.
  • Prompt: Ask, “Which is easier to solve, 2 + 9 + 1 or 9 + 1 + 2, and why?”
  • Quick check: Show 5 + 8 = 13, then ask students to write another fact they know right away.
  • Real world: Use snack bags with 4 crackers, 6 crackers, and 4 crackers to practice grouping amounts to make 10.

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Related standards

Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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