Multiplication Matters

3B is off and running with multiplication!  The children are getting a solid foundation of what multiplication truly means and are now memorizing their facts.  Each week the children will be tested on their memorization of multiplication facts.  You should have seen the study chart that came home yesterday; please sign this each night to confirm that your child has studied their facts for 15 minutes each night.  Please have your child return the chart to school each Friday.  They should be studying the facts that we are currently working on. The schedule for our facts will be as follows:  the 2s, 4s, 5s, 10s, 3s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 11s and 12s. We follow this order because it is easier to memorize the fours if they know their twos and the same can be said for the fives and tens, threes and sixes, etc.. In order to pass to the next level, each student must be able to have their facts memorized in less than one minute.  It is important that the children commit the facts to memory and are not counting on their fingers when recalling the facts.  Gaining speed in this area will help them as they tackle more challenging word problems that require multi-steps.  We will work on these facts at school daily, but it is critical that they practice at home if they are to master them.  Please let me know if you have any questions!  I have added some multiplication sites to the links on the blog.  Enjoy the schoolhouse rock video below!