What is basic addition?

Basic addition is the combining of at least two numbers.  Students can learn basic addition once they know how to count.  They may use an addition chart as a learning tool by finding the addend across the top of the chart and trace down to the row of the second addend. The answer or sum is at the intersection of the column and the row.  Basic counting can also be demonstrated with an addition chart as students can learn to recognize patterns as they count.  For example, they can start at 2 + 0 and see that the next row is 4, below that is 6, 8, 10, and then 12.  This is helpful as they learn to count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s before moving to more challenging facts.