Simple Ways to Teach 4th Graders Multiplication
- Creating a multiplication table with your students not only teaches them about basic multiplication, it also gives them a reference guide to use. Instruct each fourth grade student to draw a table nine rows by nine rows. Providing them with rulers or graph paper aids in this process. Instruct the students to number across the top of the table one through nine. Ask them to perform the same task down the left side of the table. One by one, fill in the 81 boxes together as a class. Begin by filling in each box in order, so students see the pattern of multiplication. Then, skip around the boxes asking students to help you with the answers. Once complete, inform your students they may hold onto the worksheet to refer when solving math problems down the road. Referring to the table helps them memorize basic multiplication and even serves as a study guide for a test.
- Create packets of flash cards with different multiplication problems on each. Basic cards should use simple multiplication such as "4 x 4," while more advanced cards should use problems that are harder to solve off the top of your head, such as "12 x 12." Break your fourth grade students into pairs and give each a set of flash cards. Instruct students to alternate, with one student solving the first half of the set, and the second student solving the second half of the set. Once mastered, create more advanced cards that provide the answer so students must work the problem backwards such as "9 x ? = 81." The answer is nine.
- Pair fourth grade students up and ask that one person in the pair bring a deck of cards into school the following day. During the lesson, ask the students to remove the "jokers" from the deck of cards. Explain to the students that each "face card" is worth a value of 10. Ask each pair of students to divide the cards evenly so they each have 26 cards placed face-down in front of them. Each time you call out "Flip!" the students flip the card over. The students must perform the multiplication of the cards in their head and speak the answer aloud. The student with the most cards after going through the deck wins. To alter the game, assign different values to the ace cards. Instead of 10, change the value to 15, 25 or even 100.
- Ask fourth grade students to save egg cartons about a week in advance and bring them to class on the appointed day. Place different marbles in each section of the egg carton. At first, use the same number in each. This introduces the idea of not only multiplication, but also exponents. For example; if four marbles are placed in three different egg cartons, it represents 4^3. Additionally, place different amounts of marbles in multiple egg sections to represent how more than two numbers are multiplied. For example; if there are three marbles in the first section, six marbles in the second and 10 in the third, instruct the student to write out the problem of 3 x 6 x 10 = 180. Create worksheets that instruct the students how many marbles to place in the egg carton for each problem. Seeing the number of marbles helps them visually understand the concept as they learn about multiplication, and eventually exponents.