Multiplication Monday - Part 1 Basic Facts

As teachers, we know the important strategies students must learn to gain a conceptual knowledge of multiplication. We demonstrate arrays, number bonds, equal groups...all of which are great strategies, but are not helpful in the area of efficiency.

After students can conceptualize multiplication, it's time help them become quicker mathematicians. Fluency, in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is essential. Over the years, I have met many teachers who assist students with fluency in various ways.

Here are a couple of my favorites: I hope that you can utilize them with your students also.

Travel Trivia (5-10minutes)

This is a competition in which I hold up a multiplication fact (usually on flashcard) for two students. The student that correctly gives the answer first is the winner of that round. The other student takes a seat and the winning student moves onto the next competitor.  If a student is able to win 5 rounds, I offer a free homework pass, allow him to get something out of candy jar, etc. Your rewards may vary in your room. I do not allow this person to go past 5 rounds so that other students may have an opportunity for fair competition. You will always have 1 or 2 ( hopefully more) students in your room that are naturally quick at this and exceed the majority. I attempt to speak highly of these students and congratulate their success without allowing them to dominate every game...and in turn...cause other students to lose hope of winning.

I always have lots of flashcards in my room and encourage students to study them frequently in their spare time (early finisher task). If you have 2 Know Remotes available, they have a flashcard function that is a variation of the typical flashcard and may peak student's interest.

 During my multiplication unit, I have a Travel Trivia competition a few times a week. I announce which days I will host the competition and encourage student practice at all times so that they learn to use their time wisely and it pays off!

Multiplication Fluency Pack (5-10 minutes)

In addition to the Travel Trivia, I also use a fluency pack I created as daily practice. We begin with 2's. Every day, students have a set of time (less than 5 minutes), to complete the day's worksheet. After we check, students can graph their number correct. Each day, students are able to see their growth which encourages them to continue practicing. You can download the 2's Multiplication Fluency Pack here for FREE!

Screen shots of what you will receive with the free pack:

 

 



If you like the free preview, you can download the full set from my Teacher's Pay Teacher's store:

Multiplication Fluency Pack

It contains 12 weeks of practice with graphing for each week!

Happy Multiplying! :)