3rd grade · Math · Unit 2 of 12
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.
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 3.3.5.6; 3.3.5.7 · multiplication as equal groups, and multiplying within 144
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 Minnesota
In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 12 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
A frog makes 5 hops. Each hop is 2 long. Where does it land?
- 12
- 8
- 7
- 10
10
Hint: Count by 2s, once for each hop: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. That's 5 × 2 = 10.
Question 2
What is 5 × 2?
5 × 2 = ?
- 8
- 12
- 15
- 10
10
Hint: Count by 2s 5 times: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
Question 3
What is 5 × 4?
5 × 4 = ?
answer box
20
Hint: Turn it around: 5 × 4 = 4 × 5. Count by 5s 4 times: 5, 10, 15, 20.
Question 4
How many 🍎 are in the array?
🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎answer box
6
Hint: There are 2 rows of 3, so it's 2 × 3. Turn it around: 2 × 3 = 3 × 2. Count by 2s 3 times: 2, 4, 6.
Question 5
2 × 3 = 6. So what is 3 × 2?
3 × 2 = ?
- 8
- 3
- 6
- 5
6
Hint: You can multiply in any order. 3 rows of 2 is the same number as 2 rows of 3: 6.
Question 6
Which multiplication matches the array?
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓- 5 × 2
- 4 + 2
- 4 × 3
- 4 × 2
4 × 2
Hint: Count the rows (4) and how many are in each row (2). 4 rows of 2 is 4 × 2.