Multiplication Fun!

By the end of Grade 2, students should be able to represent and explain, through investigation using concrete materials and drawings, multiplication as the combining of equal groups.  By the end of Grade 3, students need to multiply to 7X7 using a variety of strategies (arrays, skipcounting) and relate multiplication to real life situations in order to solve problems. 

In class, we have been playing a variety of multiplication games in order to practice our facts.  We have been using 2 dice which allows us to practice multiplication facts to 6X6.  

*We soon figured out that 0X and 1X tables were easy for us.  

*We have learned how to find the answer or 'product' by drawing the equal groups, skip counting (which is especially easy for 2X, 5X and 10X tables) and building/drawing/counting array models.  

*We know that 3X4 means "3 groups with 4 in each group" or "3 rows with 4 in each row".

*We can also think of multiplication as 'repeated addition' so 3X6 is the same as 6+6+6=18

Please continue to help your child see the patterns in the multiplication tables and practice these facts at home.  At school we will continue to work on this and will begin applying this new skill to problem solving situations. (Example:  How may wheels are there on 6 tricycles?...think 6X3=___