Memorizing Multiplication Facts

Dear Third Grade Families,

          Our class is making progress with memorizing multiplication facts.  In December, our class’s goal was to learn the x 3 facts.  Most children have memorized these facts.  Hooray!  If your child hasn’t mastered the x 3 facts yet, don’t lose heart.  Your child will learn them with a little more time and practice.  Keep working on them at home for a few minutes each night.

          Students have learned the 0’s, 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s times tables, and it is our goal to have the 4’s times table memorized now. Students learned that they can use x 2 facts to solve x 3 facts. 

X 3 facts are called  “Doubles Plus One More Set” because of this strategy.

First Step: Start with 2 sets of 8             2 x 8 = 16, so

Second Step:  Add 1 more set of 8        3 x 8 = 16 + 8 = 24.

Now students have learned that they can use x 2 facts to solve   x 4 facts, too!  If I know 2 groups of 8 equals 16, then I know that I can double that 16 to find the product of 4 groups of 8.

X 4 facts are called  “Double – Doubles” because of this strategy.

First Step: Double 8                   2 x 8 = 16, so

Second Step:  Double 16           4 x 8 = 16 + 16 = 32

  

          Please help your child to memorize the x 4 multiplication facts. Your child has learned the 0’s, 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s multiplication facts already.  If you keep that in mind, then you realize that your child only needs to learn six new multiplication facts to have the x 4 facts memorized. 

4 x 0, 4 x 1, 4 x 2 , 4 x 3, 4 x 4, 4 x 5, 4 x 6, 4 x 7, 4 x 8, 4 x 9, 4 x 10

Already Learned                                   Need To Learn                     Already Learned

  

Help your child to learn the x 4 facts by playing the Double-Double board game that was sent home.  You might also write the six unknown facts on index cards or Post-it notes and ask your child the facts at spare moments throughout the day (during a TV commercial, in the car, while making dinner, before bed, etc…).  “What’s the product of 4 x 6?  How do you know?”  Build   x 4 facts out of blocks or cereal, play multiplication games online at Mrs. Simpson’s blog, or use a grocery store set of flashcards to rehearse the facts.

 It might be fun to make up a new board game to practice the facts together with your child.  On Monday, I am sending home a blank copy of the Follow the Path board and some blank game cards for you to use, if you’d like to try making your own multiplication game for practice at home. 

          Please let me know if you have any questions about the multiplication strategies in this notice.  The goal is for children to be able to find the product of an unknown fact more easily by using a known fact, such as a x 2 fact.  

Have fun learning the facts together!

Keelin M. Simpson