Tuesday, February 27, 2018

How to Master Multiplication and Have Fun Along the Way

My third graders are most excited to learn "Big Kid" stuff....like how to write in cursive and how to multiply.  Actually, they start excited and then begin to realize that both can be challenging if you are not willing to put in the time to practice.  I have heard it said that "practice is the mother of skill". I would have to agree.  So we are practicing up a storm as we work on mastering multiplication. 
I'm always on the hunt to find resources to make what could be tedious practice more fun and engaging. I hit the jackpot with the book, Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Multiplication and Division. 
It is by far my favorite go to book for strategies and activities to help my students "move beyond the memorization of the multiplication facts".  I love, love love this resource! It includes all that you need to make moving through the facts engaging and meaningful.  There are literature connections for each set of multiples, real life application activities and games to reinforce the learning.  


 Our math standards focus on using models to represent the facts.  Using the set, array and number line models help to reinforce the idea that multiplication is repeated addition. 


Along with the models, we analyze the patterns as we work through each set of multiples. 



Working and playing with their flashcards helps them to build their speed and automaticity. 


We're tracking our progress with the facts by adding a bubblegum sticker for each set of multiples we master. 


I am so proud of the way they are focused on this goal. It's amazing what they will do for bubblegum and a sticker!

They will often pull from the "On My Own" tray during wise choice time without me even suggesting. 



Partners and games help to keep the practice playful and lively. 


I've added the flashcards and modeling pages to my TPT store. 
You can check it out here if interested: 

Do you have a favorite resource for teaching and reinforcing the multiplication facts? 
I would love to hear!
Comment below or email at youngdor8@gmail.com

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