I have recently begun teaching multiplication to my 3rd graders. There is much excitement when we begin! So far, it's going well. The students understand the process, now comes the part of memorizing the facts. I love that there are so many websites for my students to practice their facts. Here are some of the sites I have saved on my Delicious account.??
Today we played some of the games from Multiplication.com on the SmartBoard. They love these games! What a new way for this group of children to learn. I did bring in the homemade flashcards that I made for my own sons. I told them that the 'Classic' method works too! I also set out a set of triangle flash cards that can also be used when we begin learning Division.??
The big hit of the day was my set of Wrap Ups for Multiplication. I was surprised that this was new to many of my students. It's a good eye hand coordination activity too.??
The other popular activity in my classroom is earning keys- because knowing your facts are the 'Key to Math'. I took a workshop several years ago that is commonly called Rocket Math. The students are given 40 problems to be completed in 1 minute. It starts with the 1s and the 0s. Then each set adds 4 new problems. As they pass a set, they color in the space on their rocket recording sheet and get a paper key to add to their key chain. I give each student a large book ring and they attach their key chain to their chair. It's always a big hit! We take our tests on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.??
I'm always looking for new ways to teach multiplication to my class and ways for them to learn their facts. I'd love to hear yours!
join the conversation