What Multiplication Means
Interpret products of whole numbers (e.g. 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7)
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain that 4 × 6 means 4 groups of 6 objects
- Draw a picture or array to represent a multiplication expression
- Match a multiplication expression to a word problem involving equal groups
The lesson
You already know that repeated addition like 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 counts 4 groups of 6. Multiplication is a faster way to write that same idea. In 4 × 6, the first number, 4, tells you how many groups there are. The second number, 6, tells you how many are in each group.
Mia has 3 bags. Each bag holds 6 marbles. The expression 3 × 6 stands for those 3 groups of 6 marbles, 18 in all.
Read a multiplication expression left to right: the first number is the number of groups, and the second number is the size of each group. Mixing up the order changes what the expression describes, even when the total comes out the same.
a × b means a groups, with b in each group.
Watch it
Where it sits
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.