At the moment of this writing I am sitting at 997 reviews on Teachers Pay Teachers. I want to do something special for my 1,000th reviewer on TpT. Whoever posts the 1,000th review will receive a free (non-bundled) item from my store!
Teaching Multiplication Concepts
Here’s the Common Core Standard as its written.
Gain familiarity with factors and multiples.CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.B.4Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range 1-100. Recognize that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1-100 is a multiple of a given one-digit number. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1-100 is prime or composite.
4th graders are expected to identify primes and composites as well as factors and multiples of numbers up to 100. Those are pretty tough concepts, but my kids are doing great with them this year. The first step to mastery is get your students really fluent with their basic facts.
Fluency = fast and accurate
We use Renaissance Learning’s Math Facts in a Flash program and a sticker chart to monitor progress on their facts. While Math Facts in a Flash isn’t super motivating on its own, it does do a great job tracking progress and can be differentiated in many different useful ways. We help motivate students by monitoring their progress using a sticker chart that they keep in a clear sleeve in their Math folder. Here’s what our sticker chart looks like (without the stickers):
As students master facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, they also earn “badges” to mark their achievement. These are what some of these look like:
These badges get added to their pocket sleeves in their Nicky’s folder. Students really earning love these!
If you walk by my classroom, there’s a good chance that you’ll hear the sounds of music. I love to use music to enhance what we’re learning. This song is one of my favorites, too. I use this song about primes to help them practice defining a prime number while also helping them memorize and/or recognize some of the early ones. Trust me, your students will be singing along:
Prime, P-R-I-M-E, only factors are one and me. Factors that divide evenly, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11! whoo!
My favorite game to reinforce this topic is called Factor Samurai. Here’s a video of it being played. It really helps build a sense for divisibility and prime numbers.
I have busy creating some new bundles with some great products at huge price discounts. This bundle really had everything that I use in my two week multiplication concept unit. This product includes all 11 of my 4th grade multiplication concept products for just $1 each. That’s $32 in products for just $11! This bundle includes everything you’ll need to teach and review multiplication related concepts such as arrays, repeated addition, factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers as well as methods for learning these concepts including t-charts, factor rainbows, area models, prime factorization, divisibility rules and tricks for memorizing basic facts. My task card products work great for independent math centers or whole group practice because the coded answer documents allow for easy and fun self-checking.
Have a great week everyone!
