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Multiply & Conquer!

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jakobe bouyer

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Multiply & Conquer!

Students will understand multiplication as repeated addition and be able to solve basic multiplication problems.

Multiplication is a fundamental skill in math that helps us solve problems faster and understand more complex concepts later on. This lesson makes learning multiplication fun and relevant!

Audience

3rd Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive slides, guided practice, and independent application.

Materials

Whiteboard or Projector, Multiply & Conquer! Slide Deck, Warm Up: Repeat After Me!, Multiplication Match-Up! Game, Worksheet: Multiplication Mission, Answer Key: Multiplication Mission, and Cool Down: Multiply Your Mind

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

  • Review the Multiply & Conquer! Slide Deck and become familiar with the content and talking points.
    - Print copies of the Worksheet: Multiplication Mission for each student.
    - Ensure projector/whiteboard is set up for displaying slides.
    - Review the Answer Key: Multiplication Mission.
    - Prepare the Warm Up: Repeat After Me!, Cool Down: Multiply Your Mind, and Multiplication Match-Up! Game (cut out cards in advance).

Step 1

Warm Up: Repeat After Me!

5 minutes

  1. Distribute the Warm Up: Repeat After Me! to students.
    2. Explain that students will be practicing repeated addition to get their brains ready for our new topic.
    3. Circulate and check for understanding. Discuss answers as a class.

Step 2

Introduction to Multiplication (Slides)

9 minutes

  1. Display the Multiply & Conquer! Slide Deck (Slides 1-5).
    2. Introduce multiplication as a faster way to do repeated addition.
    3. Use examples from the slides to illustrate the concept (e.g., groups of objects, arrays).
    4. Encourage student participation by asking questions and having them share their ideas.

Step 3

Guided Practice: Let's Multiply!

7 minutes

  1. Continue with the Multiply & Conquer! Slide Deck (Slides 6-8).
    2. Work through the practice problems together as a class, using whiteboards or individual responses.
    3. Emphasize connecting repeated addition to multiplication sentences.
    4. Address any misconceptions and provide corrective feedback.

Step 4

Game: Multiplication Match-Up!

3 minutes

  1. Distribute the Multiplication Match-Up! Game cards (pre-cut) to small groups or pairs of students.
    2. Instruct students to match the repeated addition cards with the correct multiplication and answer cards.
    3. Circulate and observe, offering support and clarifying rules as needed.

Step 5

Independent Practice: Multiplication Mission

4 minutes

  1. Distribute the Worksheet: Multiplication Mission to each student.
    2. Instruct students to complete the worksheet independently, applying what they learned.
    3. Circulate around the room to offer support and answer questions. Students can check their work using the Answer Key: Multiplication Mission later or as a class review.

Step 6

Cool Down: Multiply Your Mind

2 minutes

  1. Distribute the Cool Down: Multiply Your Mind exit ticket.
    2. Students will answer a quick question to demonstrate their understanding of multiplication.
    3. Collect exit tickets to assess learning.
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Slide Deck

Multiplication Mission: Repeat After Me!

Get ready to discover a super-fast way to add numbers!

Greet students and prepare to introduce the topic. Explain that today we're going on a 'Multiplication Mission'!

What is Repeated Addition?

Sometimes we add the same number over and over again.

Example: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12

It works, but it can take a long time!

Ask students what they know about addition. Guide them to recall repeated addition (e.g., 2 + 2 + 2). Show how this can get long quickly!

Multiplication: The Shortcut!

Multiplication is a faster way to do repeated addition.

It helps us count groups of things quickly!

The symbol for multiplication is "x".

Introduce multiplication as a 'shortcut' for repeated addition. Emphasize that it's a new way to write the same idea. Introduce the 'x' symbol.

Let's See It In Action!

Imagine you have 3 groups of 2 apples.

How many apples in total?

Repeated Addition: 2 + 2 + 2 = 6

Multiplication: 3 groups of 2 = 3 x 2 = 6

Use a simple visual example. Count the groups and the items in each group. Connect it directly to repeated addition and then to multiplication.

Another Example!

You have 4 bags, and each bag has 5 marbles.

How many marbles in total?

Repeated Addition: 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20

Multiplication: 4 groups of 5 = 4 x 5 = 20

Provide another example with a different number of groups and items. Ensure students understand how to identify the number of groups and the number in each group.

Time to Practice!

Let's try some together!

Remember: Groups of = Multiply!

Transition to guided practice. Explain that students will now try some problems with teacher guidance. Encourage them to shout out answers or write on whiteboards.

Practice Problem 1

There are 5 plates, and each plate has 3 cookies.

How many cookies in all?

Repeated Addition:


Multiplication Sentence:


Answer:


Guide students through this problem. Ask: "How many groups?" "How many in each group?" "What's the repeated addition?" "What's the multiplication sentence?"

Practice Problem 2

You have 2 baskets, and each basket has 6 flowers.

How many flowers in all?

Repeated Addition:


Multiplication Sentence:


Answer:


Guide students through this problem. Reinforce the connection between repeated addition and multiplication.

Your Turn! Independent Practice

Now it's time for your Multiplication Mission Worksheet!

Show what you've learned about groups and repeated addition!

Explain that students will now work on their own. Introduce the worksheet.

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Warm Up

Warm Up: Repeat After Me!

Directions: For each problem, use repeated addition to find the total.

  1. You have 3 friends, and each friend has 2 balloons. How many balloons in all?



  2. There are 4 cookies, and each cookie has 3 chocolate chips. How many chocolate chips in all?



  3. A bird has 2 wings. How many wings do 5 birds have?



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lenny

Worksheet

Worksheet: Multiplication Mission

Directions: For each problem, write the repeated addition sentence and the multiplication sentence to find the total.

  1. There are 3 baskets. Each basket has 4 apples.

    • Repeated Addition:


    • Multiplication Sentence:


    • Total:


  2. You see 5 cars. Each car has 4 wheels.

    • Repeated Addition:


    • Multiplication Sentence:


    • Total:


  3. There are 2 hands. Each hand has 5 fingers.

    • Repeated Addition:


    • Multiplication Sentence:


    • Total:


  4. A spider has 8 legs. How many legs do 3 spiders have?

    • Repeated Addition:


    • Multiplication Sentence:


    • Total:


  5. Draw a picture for the following multiplication problem: 4 x 2 = ?











  6. Write a story problem for 3 x 5 = ?











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lenny

Game

Multiplication Match-Up! Game

Directions:

  1. Cut out the "Repeated Addition Cards" and "Multiplication & Answer Cards."
  2. Work with a partner or in a small group.
  3. Shuffle all the cards and lay them face down in a grid.
  4. Take turns flipping over two cards. The goal is to find a matching set of three: one repeated addition card, and the corresponding multiplication and answer card.
  5. If you make a match, keep the cards and take another turn.
  6. If the cards don't match, flip them back over in their original spots.
  7. The game ends when all cards have been matched. The player with the most sets wins!

--- CUT ALONG THE DOTTED LINE ---

Repeated Addition Cards

Card ACard BCard C
2 + 2 + 24 + 4 + 45 + 5

--- CUT ALONG THE DOTTED LINE ---

Multiplication & Answer Cards

Card 1Card 2Card 3
3 x 2 = 63 x 4 = 122 x 5 = 10




Answer Key for Teacher (Do not cut!)

  • Card A (2 + 2 + 2) matches Card 1 (3 x 2 = 6)
  • Card B (4 + 4 + 4) matches Card 2 (3 x 4 = 12)
  • Card C (5 + 5) matches Card 3 (2 x 5 = 10)
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lenny

Answer Key

Answer Key: Multiplication Mission

Directions: For each problem, write the repeated addition sentence and the multiplication sentence to find the total.

  1. There are 3 baskets. Each basket has 4 apples.

    • Repeated Addition: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12
    • Multiplication Sentence: 3 x 4 = 12
    • Total: 12

  2. You see 5 cars. Each car has 4 wheels.

    • Repeated Addition: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20
    • Multiplication Sentence: 5 x 4 = 20
    • Total: 20

  3. There are 2 hands. Each hand has 5 fingers.

    • Repeated Addition: 5 + 5 = 10
    • Multiplication Sentence: 2 x 5 = 10
    • Total: 10

  4. A spider has 8 legs. How many legs do 3 spiders have?

    • Repeated Addition: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24
    • Multiplication Sentence: 3 x 8 = 24
    • Total: 24

  5. Draw a picture for the following multiplication problem: 4 x 2 = ?

    • Students should draw 4 groups with 2 items in each group, or 2 groups with 4 items in each group. Examples include 4 pairs of socks, 4 groups of 2 stars, etc.










  6. Write a story problem for 3 x 5 = ?

    • Student responses will vary but should accurately represent 3 groups of 5. Example: Sarah has 3 boxes. Each box has 5 crayons. How many crayons does Sarah have in all?










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lenny

Cool Down

Cool Down: Multiply Your Mind

Directions: Answer the following question to show what you learned today.

  1. Explain in your own words how multiplication is like repeated addition. Give an example.












  2. Solve: 4 x 3 = ?



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