Multiplication: Writing to Explain

The boys and girls have learned how to explain their thinking regarding solving multiplication problems.  Today they learned how to write out their thinking.  To start we talked about what makes a good math explanation and came up with: correct, complete, and easy to understand.  Keeping those components in mind, they were given the following problem to solve:

Kay needs $25 to buy a bicycle helmet.  She earns $9 a week babysitting.  How long will it take Kay to earn the money she needs?  Decide how to solve the problem, then write an explanation of your thoughts.   

Students shared their responses and we discussed how there is often more than one good explanation for each problem, since there is often more than one way to solve it.  As the kids shared, the class offered improvements when needed.  Ultimately, all of the explanations were alike in that the answer was the same- Kay needs 3 weeks to earn the money for the helmet. 

One of the key points throughout this unit is going to be the use of *tables.  Tables are great visuals for patterning and showing information in a predictable manner.  As we move through multiplication, the skill of knowing how to create and set up a table is going to be key :)