Monday, April 11, 2016

How To Multiply Book - Our Big Project in Math Class

For several weeks, we have been working hard on our "How To Multiply Book". (I'm hoping we can come up with a zippier title before it is "published".)

Most days, after workbook time, we divide up the multiplication facts and write and draw about them. I tell the students that this book will allow children who have no idea what multiplication is or how to think about it, a chance to find out. Therefore, we have to write our sentences out clearly, draw pictures where the answer can be determined simply by counting, and a way for them to check their answer.

This is a great exercise that insures that each student truly realizes that multiplication can be thought of as repeated addition. It also gives children another tool to use when they don't know the answer right away. Finally, and maybe most importantly, it gives a real life purpose for learning - always a good and motivational thing.

Our goal is to have this draft done in the next month, and then we will edit and revise. After that, I will make a copy for each child to take home, as well as a slightly more permanent copy for our library.

Here is a wonderfully sweet example:




1 comment:

Unknown said...

The lift-the-flap answer is a great surprise detail! I'm working on developing a book project for second graders that has some things in common with what you are doing here, so I'vm really enjoyed seeing this. What I would like to do, though, is to use TIME as a variable in the accumulation of objects. I hope it works out!