Monday Made It

A Different Look at the Multiplication Chart!

This week on Monday Made It I've linked up with 4th Grade Frolics to make new "multiplication charts" for my students. Now these are no ordinary multiplication charts... they are based off of an article called "A Different Perspective on the Multiplication Chart" that every teacher should read and a math workshop that I attended by the amazing Kelly Shank. 

Each kid has an envelope with their cut up and laminated multiplication chart

Each strip is actually a deconstructed multiplication chart that has been cut down each row for the students to use. 

We all know the traditional multiplication chart... 

But my kids only get deconstructed multiplication charts... they have so many more uses!

I NEVER give my students plain old multiplication charts anymore, it limits students to how they can use the chart and they end up using it as a "cheat sheet" instead of a learning tool. But these little guys that I printed and laminated today are an amazing versatile tool! Addition, subtraction, multiplication, equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, practicing multiplication families a kids struggles with, and so much more can be done with these strips.

STEPS:
1. print any ordinary multiplication chart
2. cut into strips and laminate for longevity
3. explore with students!

I introduce this tool by having students pull out just one strip and observe what they see... after a minute have students share out. You typically will hear about repeated addition, multiples, and fact families. 

Then have students take out 3 different strips (where the first numbers add up to the third number) I tend to have them pull out the 2 strip, 5 strip, and 7 strip. I have them explore these strips... after a minute or two a kids realizes that when you stack the strips that you can use these to add numbers! They're always excited about this discovery and want to prove it with other numbers. Tell them to wait one quick second...

Students can use them for addition! 2+5=7   22+55=77

because another student will realize that you can also stack the strips to subtract numbers! (inverse relationships anyone?!) 

use them for subtraction! 11-5=6    132-60=72

Then I let the kids go crazy and take out all the strips and discover as many patterns as possible and to prove that what they discovered applies to all of the numbers! They will find SO many mathematical concepts and you can see what mathematical vocabulary your kids have at the beginning of the year. The funny thing is that it usually takes 30 min. and an OCD kid to line up the strips and make a traditional multiplication chart. 

*My favorite is when they realize they can create their own strips for more challenging numbers. Say a student was trying to multiply something by 18, they can find two strips whose addends create a sum of 18... and bam! You have a new multiples strip for 18! I simply love how this tool allows kids to think outside of the box and approach mathematical concepts in a new way. 

My next Monday Made It is super simple. It takes a solid two episodes of "Parks and Rec" with all of the drying time but it's always worth it. 

NAME STICKS! Each year I paint half of a popsicle stick a solid color (last year I did yellow, this year I painted them red) and the other half of the stick is a shade of any tone tones (light blue or dark blue this year).

half and half for a good reason! 

Ways I use my name sticks..

1. creating groups/partners:

The different tones of blue stand for a boy or a girl. The dark blue is for a boy and the light blue is for a girl. This is incredibly nice when I want to "randomly" choose partners/groups. The various blues allow me to place mixed gender groups or same gender groups. It sounds silly, but I just know that some tasks get done more easily when there are certain gender partnerships (plus I can keep girl drama to a minimum or "certain" kids away from one another).

2. participation:

Each day I flip all sticks to blue so everyone is expected to contribute to a discussion. Throughout the day I flip their stick over to red when a student participates, this helps with accountability. When all sticks are red I flip them back over and we start over again! Nothing revolutionary but always helpful. 

And one quick "made it"? AKA I turned a cork board into a jewelry organizer from Joann Fabrics : ) Don't you just love coupons and teacher discounts?! Got this baby for $10 and repurposed it for my necklaces and earrings instead of memos!