Multiplication drills are still a classroom activity. However, drills are the least effective learning tool for students. Some students have exemplary memories and will remember all the numbers effortlessly while others will struggle.
It is important to teach students the concept behind multiplication and allow them to create pictures or diagrams to calculate a multiplication fact. Students may know the answer but cannot tell you what it means. Learning multiplication tables can be memorized by using cootie catchers, hundreds chart, flash cards and by singing, but learning the concept is also vital.
Cootie Catchers
Cootie catchers are known for telling fortunes of school girls. Take the traditional cootie catcher and modify to teach students their multiplication tables. Follow the instructions for the Girl Power Cootie Catcher and begin modifications on step 14. Instead of writing a fortune each flap will be divided into 2 triangles. Students will write the answer for the corresponding multiplication table.
On the outside of the cootie catchers students may use colors or math vocabulary or written numbers. Only rule is two of the words must have an odd number of letters and two must have an even number of letters. Cootie catchers is a fun activity for boys in girls to learn their multiplication facts as they are engaged in the activity and usually working with a friend.
Hundreds Chart
Hundreds chart has a multitude of purposes and one is to aid students learning their multiplication facts. Create a hundreds chart starting at 0 on the vertical and horizontal axis and extend to 9. As a class fill in the chart, asking students to look for patterns. As well, have students extend the pattern off the chart. Example; students notice that any number multiplied by 0 is 0 ask them to multiply numbers from 10 to 15 by 0. What is the pattern? Continue this discussion for all multiplication sets. Best to only do 1 or 2 multiplication sets a math period for students to absorb the information and retain to long term memory.
Flash Cards
Flash cards are a traditional method to teaching multiplication facts, to reinforce learning have students create them. Students write the multiplication question on the front of the card and the answer in number and picture format on the back. Example, students write 4x7= (front of card) and write 28 and 4 sets of 7 on the back of the card. The picture representation allows the student to understand how 28 becomes the answer. Multiplication is simply repeated addition.
Multiplication Singing
Students sing the multiplication tables. Singing is a great technique as it slows down the singer. Try to sing the 4 time tables and then say them quickly. As you sing you will get into a grove and it will help you remember. Often students are able to remember music lyrics effortlessly, sing multiplication facts and choose a different tempo for each set. As well, at the end of each set, sing the pattern. Example, sing the 5 time tables and then sing anything times 5 will end in a five or 0. The rule is important for the student to learn for them to multiply pass number 10.
Students will have a preference to the activities, with the exception of singing allow students to choose the multiplication activity, after each one has been used at least once. As for singing, no student will admit it but most will enjoy singing their multiplication facts as a group. Time needed for students to learn multiplication facts are dependent on the students learning style.
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