Gr 4 Multiplication

We finished up our work on Adding and Subtracting decimal numbers last week. Students are on-track, though many need reminders to regroup when subtracting. A fantastic game to play at home to support your child is the "Banker's Game" (click here to see our old blog post with instructions). Students could print/draw Base Ten blocks to use instead of the blocks, or you could use coins. 

We have moved on to Multiplication. So far, we've talked about what Multiplication is and how we could represent it. Students were able to recall information from Grade Three, such as: 

We practiced drawing groups or arrays to match multiplication equations and have been using math vocabulary words in class, such as: factor, product, equation, array. 

This week, we are exploring patterns in the Multiplication table and looking for strategies to help us memorize them, such as: in the 3's times tables, the multiples of threes are even-odd-even-odd..." 

Students are working in groups to create posters to put up on the wall. They will present them to the rest of the class, using their best Math vocabulary, next week. 

You can support your child at home by playing games, singing the facts (check Youtube for multiplication fact songs!), doing flashcards...whatever works best for your child to help them memorize the facts up to 9x9. I have posted the rules to a game we played in class called Multiplication Luck on our Google Classroom. It's a lot like Yatzee and is really fun! I will also post the rules to another game, Array Capture, after I teach it to the class on Monday.

In Grade 4, students are expected to demonstrate an understanding and application of multiplication equations up to 9x9 with fluency/memorization up to 7x7. We will be working with the numbers in class and the focus of class time will be spent on understanding and representing multiplication, not memorization.

If you have questions, I'm always happy to chat! :)

~ Ms Elder