Today we inquired into what that "X" symbol meant in multiplication problems. We always say times, but it didn't make much sense. We looked at a word problem that involved multiplication and realized (with the help of our counters) that multiplying simply means making "groups of" numbers.
One student made 5 groups of 8 (5x8)
One student made 8 lines of 5 (8x5)
One student made an array showing 5 rows and 8 columns.
Another student made 5 rows of 8, but color coded chips to make it easier to count.
Another array with sticky-note labels.
Another student used 5 groups of 8 blocks (5x8)
Students did a gallery walk to see what other kids in the class completed. Later, we looked at another multiplication problem, solved it using 3 strategies, and reflected on what what was challenging and what could be helpful as we learn more difficult multiplication.
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