Wondering how to teach multiplication to your third graders? There are two words you should always include as your first step when you introduce multiplication.
Those words are: groups of (or rows of).
When students first learn the concept of multiplication, it’s really important for them to understand what it means to multiply, and how this is similar to, but different from adding.
Using visuals, and the words groups of (and also rows of) will help your students understand the topic.
This concept should be taught and instilled in your students before you introduce the properties of multiplication (specifically the commutative property, identity property, and zero property). You also don’t want your students simply relying on times tables to figure out their answers!
Teaching students the conceptual understanding of multiplication before the properties is an effective way to develop a foundation of understanding what it truly means to multiply.
When they are later faced with math facts they don’t have memorized, they will know how to solve for the correct answer and won’t be relying on properties or their multiplication tables!
Don’t get me wrong–the properties of multiplication are important and need to be taught! Just not yet!
How to Teach “Groups of” With Hands-On Practice
Hands-on practice is a great way to make multiplication real for your students. You can use any manipulatives as you teach groups. The first number in the equation should represent the number of equal groups.
I recommend giving your students twelve buttons (cubes, paperclips, erasers, etc…) to use as their manipulatives. (The reason I like to use twelve is that it can be used to make several equations. It’s just an easy way to get started!)
Using the manipulatives on their desk, you can ask your students to make various number of groups of equal size:
- One group of twelve
- Two groups of six
- Three groups of four
- Six groups of two
- Twelve groups of one
With each equation, it’s a good idea to have your students write the equation to represent the groups of.
You can also teach your students repeated addition using this hands-on activity.
As you do this activity, your students might begin to naturally notice the commutative property of multiplication in action! (But remember–you haven’t taught this property explicitly yet.)
Add or take away more manipulatives to do other multiplication problems. Once your students have enough practice, you can have them draw pictures to represent groups of.
You can show real-life examples with pictures to your students and have them write a multiplication sentence for them. This set visual aids is full of relatable examples that are a good way to bring math to life!
How to Teach “Rows of” With Hands-On Practice
Just like the groups of activities, you can use manipulatives to practice building arrays and creating equal rows. Using hands on manipulatives is often one of the best ways to go about teaching multiplication.
You can also use a carton of eggs as an example when you are teaching arrays.
Once students have learned the concepts of groups of and rows of, we say this whenever we write out a multiplication equation.
For example, if I wrote the equation 3×5 on the board, my students would say:
- Three groups of five
- Three rows of five
- Three times five
By saying it this way, when students come to an equation they don’t have memorized, they will instinctively be telling themselves what to draw!
It’s so important for students to learn different strategies for solving unknown facts all year long. This will help them no matter what grade level they are in!
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By following these simple steps to introduce multiplication I hope you are able to help your students develop a solid foundation of multiplication concepts!
Need fun ways to teach multiplication? These third grade favorites are ready to go!
For when you are first introducing multiplication in third grade:
- 3rd Grade Guided Math: Intro to Multiplication – Games, Lessons, Assessments & More!
- 3rd Grade Guided Math Multiplication Basics Math Slides
For going deeper with third grade multiplication skills:
- 3rd Grade Guided Math: Multiplication and Division Applications – Games, Lessons, Assessments, & More!
- 3rd Grade Guided Math Multiplication and Division Applications Math Slides
- Multiplication Number Lines (Fun Activity for Skip Counting Practice!)
Looking for different ways to practice multiplication with fun math games? Check out this blog post!
Next step? Time to practice multiplication facts! Check out this post for ways to build your students’ multiplication mastery!
