Math @ Home

As we are starting our multiplication and division units, I can't stress enough the importance of students knowing their (0-12) multiplication facts! Knowing means being able to give the product automatically and not having to "figure it out" each time. While we encourage students to have strategies for figuring out problems they do not know, we want 0-12 to be automatic.

Students should be practicing their facts at home especially over the long, 2 week break. Flashcards are great! If you have them, use them! If you don't have any you can pick some up at Staples or even make your own on index cards!

Another fun way to practice facts are with the game "Multiplication Top-it". It's a variation on the classic card-game "War". Take a standard 52-card deck of playing cards and divide them evenly, face-down, between two players. Each player turns over two cards and multiplies the values of those two cards together. The player with the greatest product, takes all 4 cards into a separate pile. When all cards in the deck have been used, each player takes the pile of cards they have won, shuffles them, and uses them as their new deck. The player to win all 52 cards wins the game. If there is a tie (two equal products), leave the four cards on the playing surface and turn over two more. The player to win, wins all 8 cards. Keep in mind, A=1, J=0, Q=11, K=12.

Happy Multiplying!