3rd grade · Math · Unit 2 of 14
Multiplication
Equal groups and arrays
What your child practices
Understanding multiplication as equal groups, arrays, repeated addition and skip counting. Easier sets use 2s, 5s and 10s; stretch sets go beyond 5 × 5.
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 3.1; 3.5; 3.7 · multiplication as equal groups, properties of multiplication, and multiplying within 100
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Multiplying means equal groups.
- 3 × 4 means 3 groups of 4.
- An array shows the groups as rows and columns.
Example: 4 × 5 = ? That is 4 groups of 5. 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20. Answer: 20
Multiplication in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 2 of 14 in 3rd grade Math, after Add & Subtract and before Division.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What is 4 × 4?
4 × 4 = ?
- 20
- 12
- 8
- 16
16
Hint: Count by 4s 4 times: 4, 8, 12, 16.
Question 2
A frog makes 2 hops. Each hop is 2 long. Where does it land?
- 2
- 9
- 6
- 4
4
Hint: Count by 2s, once for each hop: 2, 4. That's 2 × 2 = 4.
Question 3
Which multiplication matches the array?
🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞- 6 × 5
- 5 × 6
- 5 × 5
- 5 + 5
5 × 5
Hint: Count the rows (5) and how many are in each row (5). 5 rows of 5 is 5 × 5.
Question 4
Which multiplication means the same as this?
3 + 3 + 3
- 4 × 3
- 3 + 3
- 3 × 3
- 3 × 4
3 × 3
Hint: There are 3 groups of 3 added together, so it's 3 × 3 = 9.
Question 5
How many 🌼 are in the array?
🌼🌼🌼🌼answer box
4
Hint: There are 2 rows of 2, so it's 2 × 2. Count by 2s 2 times: 2, 4.
Question 6
3 × 5 = 15. So what is 5 × 3?
5 × 3 = ?
- 10
- 15
- 18
- 8
15
Hint: You can multiply in any order. 5 rows of 3 is the same number as 3 rows of 5: 15.