Mastery Step 2: The Addition Ladder
Climb the ladder one rung at a time: +1 today, +2 tomorrow — fluency through tiny daily steps.
⏱️ Micro Plan — 4 short parts · about 20 min in total
- 1What Is It?5 min
- 2See It with Pictures5 min
- 3Practice5 min
- 4Quiz Time5 min
🎯 Learning objectives
After completing this lesson, the child should be able to:
- Understand the small-step ladder approach
- Practice +1 and +2 facts to fluency
- Check your own work like a mastery learner
In mastery learning, every practice page is only a tiny bit harder than the one before. Today we climb the first rungs of the addition ladder.
The ladder
Each rung adds just one new idea:
| Rung | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 facts | 4 + 1 = 5 |
| 2 | +2 facts | 4 + 2 = 6 |
| 3 | Doubles | 4 + 4 = 8 |
| 4 | Mixed to 10 | 4 + 3 = 7 |
Today's practice (10 minutes)
- Warm up with five problems you already know.
- Try ten problems on today's rung.
- Check your own work with a coloured pencil.
- Fix any mistakes — finding them yourself is the real skill!
When do you move up?
Move to the next rung when today's problems feel fast and easy — not just once, but every time. Speed plus accuracy is what mastery learning calls fluency.
Practice on EduManual
Our practice screen starts with apple pictures and grows into pure numbers — the same small steps as a mastery ladder. Print the Mastery-Style Addition Ladder worksheet for pencil practice.