What is multiplication?
The basic idea of multiplication is repeated addition. You take one number and add it together a number of times. This is why multiplication is sometimes called “times“.
Example: 3 multiplied by 4.
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12. We took the number 3 and added it together 4 times.
Multiplication is explained in more detail in the post ‘Two Times Table Shoe Shop‘.
Resources
- Pencil crayons
- 100 grid
- Numicon
- Place value counters
- Base ten set
- Numbered log slices
- Homemade Numberblocks characters
- Numberblocks episode: ‘Circus Of Threes’ on BBC iplayer
Method
Today we were looking at the three times table. Finny started off by grouping pencil crayons in multiples of three.
Ioan looked at the multiples of three on a hundred square.
Finny then went on to lay out the numicon in multiples of three.
Ioan set out the place value counters to represent the three times table.
Ioan was working with on representing the three times tables with the base ten set, while Finny was working on making the Numberblocks characters for the ‘Circus Of Threes’ song.
They found items to accompany the first four lines of the song.
Then carried on the rest of the song.
By the end of today, they had much faster recall of the multiplication facts in the three times table and took this knowledge on to help them look at the six times table.
DfES National Curriculum (2013)
Numeracy Year 4 programme of study
Number – multiplication and division
- recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12