A group of seven 3rd and 4th graders have been learning all about multiplication and division this winter. With multiplication, they started with cluster problems which break large problems such as 358x27 into small clusters of easily known multiplication sentences such as: 300x2, 300x20, 50x20, etc. Once the smaller problems are solved, students figure out which cluster will help them solve the initial problem. This was a way for children to see how a large multiplication problem could be broken into smaller pieces.
Our next look at multiplication came in the form of the lattice method. Students learned how to set up the problem and place the numbers in a way that they would add together to get the correct solution. This was a favorite method for many of the students.
The last multiplication method we tried out was the traditional algorithm. Some of the students had seen this method before and took to it immediately; many still favor the lattice method. Students are encouraged to use which ever method they understand and can easily use.
With division we started with “short” division. Problems such as 75÷3 where there are no remainders. We then played games such as Leftovers and Roll a Remainder to look at what it means to have a remainder and did “short” division problems such as: 82÷4 and 65÷6. As we got more confident in our efforts, we have moved on the long division and have even worked on 6-digit numbers divided by one-digit. Many students are still practicing and honing their division skills at this point and work with teachers and on their own to get better at this skill.
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