Students have been learning about many ways to multiply. Long ago, I thought it was ridiculous to learn so many algorithms and models of multiplication, but now I recognize that all of these models and algorithms help students to make meaning of and become more flexible with numbers. If done well, students are capable of holding all these different, but connected ways in their minds and do end up knowing more about what it means to multiply.
In the past week, students rehearsed the area model and partial product method, and today we'll review the "mom and pop" multiplication or traditional multiplication, which is just another way to perform partial product multiplication. We'll slowly step through the process step-by-step, and then children will have time to practice. As I teach, I'll connect this model to the models we learned about previously.
Going forward, students will practice the traditional algorithm, learn a few ways to think about, model, and multiply decimals, and then practice with straight forward multiplication expressions, word problems, a practice test, and the unit assessment. Onward.
