Growth Point 1
Multiplication and Division Growth Points activities
The tasks listed on the following pages are rich tasks from various sources that may be used with multi-level groups or students who are working at a particular level.
The tasks listed on the following pages are rich tasks from various sources that may be used with multi-level groups or students who are working at a particular level.
1. Counting group items as ones
To find the total in a multiple group situation, refers to individual items only.
Materials: One worksheet per student.
Activity: Students complete the worksheet by matching the grouped items on the left with the numerical value on the right.
Ask students to record for each one, ‘How many in the total collection? How many in each group?’.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: Laminated number sentence template for each student, 10 small objects per student (e.g. small dinosaurs, insects, bears, beans, blocks of ten), whiteboard markers.
Activity: Students place a number of objects in the first circle and write the number of objects on the line under the circle. They place the same number of objects in the second circle. Then they combine both groups of objects in the larger, third circle. They count how many are in the larger circle and write that number on the line beneath it to create a number sentence. Discuss the language used to combine objects and the symbols we use when creating a number sentence.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: One activity card (enlarged to A3), selection of cut-out people, counters or teddies.
Activity: Lead activity by asking various students to place the correct number of people into each house (e.g. ‘Put all the people who live in Green Street into their homes’). Discussion can then centre around the number of people who live in the street (e.g. ‘Is there an easy way to work this out?’). Encourage students to represent the street using number sentences and drawings. Focus on how many people live in each house.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: Kookaburra cards, pegs, number cards.
Activity: Students draw a number card and collect that number of pegs, and the pegs become the tail feathers for the kookaburras. As the students, ‘How many feathers do you have? How many kookaburras do you think you can share them between?’ Students take kookaburra cards and place the pegs on each to show how they can share them out.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Variation: Ask students to investigate a set number of feathers (e.g. 12, 15, 16, 20). What happens to the number of feathers each kookaburra gets as the number of kookaburra increases?
Materials: Envelopes with numbers 0 to 6 written on the back, magazines, scissor, classroom mailbox.
Activity: Students have a collection of envelopes that all have the same number written on them. For each envelope, they cut out pictures from magazines that match the number on the envelope. On a larger envelope, students record the number of envelopes they are posting and how many items are in each. They then estimate the total number of items that they are posting, place the smaller envelopes into the larger envelope, and post it in the classroom mailbox. As a class, empty the mailbox and check the predictions on each large envelope.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: Two dice, deck of cards counters (over 100).
Activity: Students turn over a card. The number on the card determines how many items they will have in each group. They take turns to roll a dice each, which determines how many groups they will make. For instance, if they turn over a 3 card, their groups will each have 3 items. If students then roll 3 and 4 on the dice, one student will make 3 groups of 3 and the other student makes 4 groups 3. Students must also be able to state the total number of counters they have collected. The winner is the student who has the largest total.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: Worksheet and animal counters (e.g. teddies, frogs, insects). You could also use toy cars.
Activity: Students take a handful of counters (animals or other) and estimate how many legs they might have altogether. They then record the number of legs using the chart (Appendix 61) demonstrating how many animals, how many legs on each animal and the total.
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Materials: None
Activity: Ask students to identify items in the room that come in groups of ones (e.g. students, lights, books) twos (e.g. arms, legs, eyes, ears), threes (e.g. stool legs, triangle sides), fours (e.g. chair legs, table legs) or fives (e.g. fingers, toes).
Students make posters to sort items (e.g. things that come in groups of 2, 3, 4).
Related key ideas: Equal groups, composite units.
Variation: Use these items to model groups (e.g. ‘If we have 3 chairs, that makes 3 groups of 4 legs so that equals 12 legs all together’). Ask students to model similar number sentences and worded problems.