TOPIC 3 · GRADES 3–4
Multiplication Methods
Build products with equal groups, arrays, and partial products.
BIG IDEA
Multiplication combines equal groups. Break a larger factor into place-value parts, multiply each part, and add the partial products.
WHAT TO KNOW
- An array makes rows × items in each row visible.
- The distributive property splits a hard fact into friendly facts.
- For 23 × 4, find 20 × 4 and 3 × 4, then combine them.
WATCH OUT
In 20 × 4, the zero matters: 2 tens × 4 is 8 tens, or 80.
TRY IT
Change the group size to compare an array with its partial-product equation.