Should I Go All the Way with Multiplication Facts?

I've been getting a lot of questions from 3rd grade teachers whether they should teach multiplication facts through 9 (Common Core State Standard 3.OA.7; By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers), or push ahead and work on products involving factors of 10, 11 and 12. 

Most 3rd grade teachers will tell you how difficult it is for students to achieve complete fluency by the end of the year, so piling on more facts is the last thing they want to do!

However, working on strategies to learn double digit multiplication facts is a fantastic opportunity to illustrate, and reinforce key learnings from 3rd grade.

It is essential for 3rd graders to learn how to multiply a single digit by a multiple of 10 as quickly as possible. Aside from being a great preview to the work they will be doing in 4th and 5th grade with base ten, they catch on quickly and this one skill will take them far in the world of multiplication. Think about it; 12 x 5 becomes (10 x 5) + (2 x 5). Students can quickly go from paper and pencil to mental math. After doing this enough times, the answer becomes memorized. 

3rd graders already need to conceptually understand the distributive property of multiplication (Common Core State Standard 3.OA.5). By decomposing 2-digit numbers to multiply easily, they will be using the distributive property over and over again. 

Finally, there is one secret math move I always show 3rd graders once they are confident multiplying by 10. I write 5 x 18 on the board and ask them to solve it different ways. Providing a student doesn't think of this strategy, I write: 10 x 18 = 180 and half of 180 is 90. All of the oohhhs and aaaahhhs are music to my ears!

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Creating an Anxiety-Free Math Classroom

One of my very first math lesson is about making mistakes. I tell my students that I LOVE math mistakes because it is the best way to start discussions, talk about out work, and teach us how to prove and justify our work. I can almost see my students breathe a sigh of relief when they realize I am not expecting them to magically perform perfectly!

The truth is, many students come to math with anxiety. Their beliefs about their abilities are tied to their self-esteem and for some students math can become  something to avoid at all costs. 

There are some things we can do, as math teachers, to alleviate children's math stress and create a safe, and supportive environment for learning math. 

1. Talk about the importance of errors. Students should look at errors as a way to learn. Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindset addresses how making mistakes grows our brains and is part of the creative process. 

2. Avoid timed tests. Timed tests create huge anxiety for students and many are beginning to rethink how effective these are in getting our students to fluency with their math facts. 

3. Provide opportunities for team work. Students can feel a sense of security when working with the support of others. Building a group consensus can build communication skills and self-confidence. 

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