There’s an Easier Way for Children to Learn Multiplication!
For years, I have watched children struggle with Multiple-Digit Multiplication, which begins with problems like, 97 x 86, then quickly increases in difficulty to problems like, 5,984 x 763, and finally culminates in multiplying decimals like 5.83 x 7.3. Memorizing all the multiplication facts can be difficult for some kids. Children who are struggling with Multiple-Digit Multiplication are smart kids! However, they have some gaps in their learning when it come to multiplication. Simply repeating the same strategies they were taught when they first started learning multiplication will not work.
I looked for an easier strategy – one where all children would be successful multiplying large numbers. I decided to incorporate Counting by the Numbers, an Area Box, and Simple Addition. I taught this strategy to my 6th graders who struggle with multiple-digit multiplication. After completing my series, every one of them were able to pass the educational standards for multiple-digit multiplication!
3-Steps Make Multiplication Simple!
Step 1 – Write your “Counting by the Numbers” for one of the factors (the numbers you are multiplying). In this case I wrote 8’s and my 6’s.
Step 2 – Draw your Area Boxes. In this case I need two area boxes, one for the 6 and another for the 80. Next, Use the counting by the numbers to multiply these numbers. (I demonstrate this strategy in a video below).
Step 3 – Finally, add all your products together.
Area Multiplication
is
Designed so that
ANYONE can Succeed at Multiplication!
Hello, my name is Brian McCoy, and I am a credentialed teacher in the state of California. I have been teaching elementary and middle school children for over a quarter of a century. After years of watching children struggle with the algorithm for multiplying large numbers, I set out to develop an easier method. I created Area Multiplication.
Let me be clear, Area Multiplication is NOT for children who can already multiply large numbers like 574 x 763. The process does take a bit more time. However, Area Multiplication is structure in such a way that absolutely anyone can successfully multiply large numbers.
WHEN CHILDREN DO NOT KNOW THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS…
THEY NEED A STRATEGY!
By simply writing the “counting by the numbers” above their problem, children who do NOT know their multiplication facts can succeed! For example, with the problem 97 x 86; Children can write “counting by the numbers” for 8’s and the 6’s. The mathematical model at the top of this page shows the results.
My goal is for children is to memorize their multiplication facts. However, until they know all their facts, they need a strategy. Counting by the numbers is the easiest strategy to learn. Therefore, I have added “counting by the numbers” to the end of each video. Children who do not know all their multiplication facts should watch and count with me at the end of each of these videos until they can count by all the number on their own. Repetition of this strategy will help in all areas of math that require multiplication. Once a child knows all their multiplication facts, they can stop the videos after the problem is solved and before Counting by the Numbers begins.
This Math Help Website is Designed to build a concrete understanding of Multiplication!
All Problems have Math Video Tutorials!
Cyclical Learning Approach
I have incorporated a cyclical learning approach with math tutorial videos. Each educational concept is introduced, then reinforced, then revisited again and again – with each subsequent step rising to the next level of competency. There are 5-lessons that take children from the basics of multiplication to multiplying decimals by decimals.
I have scaffold these problems:
-
- The first problem is a Watch ME.
Students should read the problem and then click on the video to watch how the problem is solved.
Students should copy the entire problem into their notebook. - The second problem is a WORK WITH ME.
Students should read the problem then gather all their materials, so that they can do the problem with me.
Students should play the math tutorial video and pause it when told.
Finally, Students should copy the problem down on their own paper, and solve it with me.
When the math tutorial video is complete, students should review the problem with their teacher or parent. - All the following problems are ON YOUR OWN.
Students should solve the problems just as they did in the first two.
Once you they completed the problem, they should watch the math tutorial video.
Students should keep their paper with them while they watch the video.
If they made a mistake, they should pause the math tutorial video and fix their mistake.
That’s the fastest way to learn!
- The first problem is a Watch ME.
Book 1
Multiplying two digit Numbers (97 x 86)
Challenge 1 – Watch Me
Ernie the Emu
Ernie the Emu loves having his photo taken. As a matter of fact, Ernie gets his photo taken more than any other animal on the African Savanna. He sticks his face in front of anyone he sees with a smart phone or a camera. Ernie is 86 days old. He has had his photo taken exactly 97 times every day of his life. How many photos have been taken of Ernie the Photo-Hungry Emu?
Now – Press PLAY and watch the math tutorial video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
If you found this first problem helpful – please read on!
I have more problems and video after this brief message.
I’ve created this lesson as well as my game, TeachersDungeon, because I want to give back to the profession that I love so very much. If you would like to become a patron and help support this website, you can do so in purchasing one of my educational books.
If you are a teacher or the parent of a child that could benefit from one of my eBooks please visit my store at TeachersPayTeacher. I use the name, McCoy’s Math Link at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Challenge 2 – Work With Me
Pinky Tuskadaro the Calculating Orangutan
Meet Pinky Tuskadaro the calculating orangutan. Right now, Pinky is trying to figure out how many bananas he has eaten in the past 48 days. If he ate 39 bananas each day, how many bananas has Pinky eaten?
Now – Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together while you watch the math tutorial video below
Challenge 3 – On Your Own
Wrong Way John
Wrong Way John is a wandering giraffe who always gets stuck in the brambles. He traveled 36 miles a day for the past 27 days, and got stuck 113 times.
How far did Wrong Way John travel in the past 27 days?
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems like the three above. The books also include another 16 Drill & Kill problems like the 4 in challenge 11.
Drill & Kill
This is where we Drill until we Kill all our mistakes!
I call this section of the book, Drill & Kill, because we will drill this concept until we are perfect, and we kill any mistakes!
The following problems can all be solved with the same strategies we used to solve the first ten problems.
- Solve all four problems on each page.
- Watch the video & correct your work.
- Review your work with your parent or teacher.
If you get all 4 problems correct, your parent or teacher may tell you that you’re ready to move to the next book/article within this series.
Good Luck!
Drill & Kill
Challenge – 11
Problem 148 x 76 |
Problem 229 x 87 |
Problem 338 x 42 |
Problem 477 x 63 |
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Please read on!
The 2nd Lesson in this series will begin after this brief message.
Each of my books includes 10 word problems and another 16 Drill & Kill problems. Each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial like the ones in this post. If you would like to purchase this book, click the Photo.
Book 2
Multiplying by a three digits Number (456 x 74)
Challenge 1 – Watch Me
Olivia Ostrich
Olivia Ostrich gets riled easily. As a matter of fact, Olivia screeches, flaps her wings, and stomps her feet every time she does not get her way. Some people say that she acts like a 3 year old having a temper tantrum. Last year, Olivia had 63 temper tantrums each and every day. How many temper tantrums did Olivia have in the past 365 days?
Now – Press PLAY and watch the math tutorial video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
Challenge 2 – Work With Me
Cameel & Kamel the Singing Camels
Meet Cameel & Kamel the Singing Camels. They are a brother and sister team that travel all over the world singing their beautiful melodies. They sing 74 songs at each concert. Cameel and Kamel are scheduled to perform 456 concerts. How many songs will they sing?
Now – Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together while you watch the math tutorial video below!
Challenge 3 – On Your Own
Stone Cold Kelly
Stone Cold Kelly is a killer. You can’t blame her. After all, she is an alligator, and alligators have to eat. However, Stone Cold Kelly only eats shrimp. She loves the taste of shrimp so much that she eats 85 shrimp at each meal. How many shrimp will Stone Cold Kelly eat during her next 547 meals?
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems like the three above. The books also include another 16 Drill & Kill problems like the 4 in challenge 11.
Drill & Kill
This is where we Drill until we Kill all our mistakes!
I call this section of the book, Drill & Kill, because we will drill this concept until we are perfect, and we kill any mistakes!
The following problems can all be solved with the same strategies we used to solve the first ten problems.
- Solve all four problems on each page.
- Watch the video & correct your work.
- Review your work with your parent or teacher.
If you get all 4 problems correct, your parent or teacher may tell you that you’re ready to move to the next book/article within this series.
Good Luck!
Drill & Kill
Challenge – 11
Problem 148 x 796 |
Problem 229 x 857 |
Problem 338 x 432 |
Problem 476 x 643 |
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Please read on!
The 3rd Lesson in this series will begin after this brief message.
Each of my books includes 10 word problems and another 16 Drill & Kill problems. Each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial like the ones in this post. If you would like to purchase this book, click the Photo.
Book 3
Multiplying by a four digit Number (5,029 x 67)
Challenge 1 – Watch Me
Amos the Angry Kitten
Amos the Angry Kitten does not like ants. He just spotted one now, and he is ready to fight. On his daily prowl through his yard, Amos attacks an ant mound. There are 1,357 ants living there, and Amos fights every one of them. If Amos does battle with each of the 1,357 ants every day for 46 days, how many ant-battles will Amos the Angry Kitten complete?
Now – Press PLAY and watch the math tutorial video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
Challenge 2 – Work With Me
Montana the Lily Loving Moose
Montana the Lily Loving Moose is always on the hunt for a tasty treat. He wades through the rivers looking for lily pads. Montana eats 3,492 lily pads each day. Yes – that is a lot of lily pads, but Montana is a big moose. How many lily pads will Montana eat in the next 67 days?
Now – Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together while you watch the math tutorial video below
Challenge 3 – On Your Own
Shelby & Sherman Seahorse
Shelby & Sherman are a couple of thoroughbred seahorses. They are the two fastest seahorses in the entire world. Together, they have completed a 38 races across the Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Straight to Antarctica’s Rose Sea, which is 9,586 miles. Altogether, how many miles have these two seahorses raced across the Pacific Ocean?
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems like the three above. The books also include another 16 Drill & Kill problems like the 4 in challenge 11.
Drill & Kill
This is where we Drill until we Kill all our mistakes!
I call this section of the book, Drill & Kill, because we will drill this concept until we are perfect, and we kill any mistakes!
The following problems can all be solved with the same strategies we used to solve the first ten problems.
- Solve all four problems on each page.
- Watch the video & correct your work.
- Review your work with your parent or teacher.
If you get all 4 problems correct, your parent or teacher may tell you that you’re ready to move to the next book/article within this series.
Good Luck!
Drill & Kill
Challenge – 11
Problem 148 x 5,796 |
Problem 229 x 6,857 |
Problem 338 x 9,432 |
Problem 476 x 4,643 |
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Please read on!
The 4th Lesson in this series will begin after this brief message.
Each of my books includes 10 word problems and another 16 Drill & Kill problems. Each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial like the ones in this post. If you would like to purchase this book, click the Photo.
Book 4
Multiplying a four by three digit Number (7,538 x 364)
Challenge 1 – Watch Me
Hide and Go Seek Zeek
Hide and Go Seek Zeek is all about having fun. And, his favorite fun time activity is playing hide & go seek. Zeek plays hide & seek for 9,463 seconds every day. That’s just under 3 hours. If Zeek played hide & go seek every day for one year (365 days) how many seconds did he spend playing hide & go seek?
Now – Press PLAY and watch the math tutorial video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
Challenge 2 – Work With Me
Ignacio the Lettuce sharing Iguana
Ignacio the Lettuce sharing Iguana is the friendliest iguana in all of Brazil. He always shares his lettuce with smaller iguanas. As a matter of fact, over the past 749 days Ignacio shared 2,977 pieces of lettuce each and every day. How many pieces of lettuce did Ignacio share all together?
Now – Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together while you watch the math tutorial video below
Challenge 3 – On Your Own
Lazy Lion Pride
Meet the Lazy Lion Pride. They nap more than any other pride of lions in the African Savana. Each morning, this group of lions finds a comfortable branch and sleeps for exactly 9,876 seconds. How many seconds will this pride of lions nap during the next 243 mornings?
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems like the three above. The books also include another 16 Drill & Kill problems like the 4 in challenge 11.
Drill & Kill
This is where we Drill until we Kill all our mistakes!
I call this section of the book, Drill & Kill, because we will drill this concept until we are perfect, and we kill any mistakes!
The following problems can all be solved with the same strategies we used to solve the first ten problems.
- Solve all four problems on each page.
- Watch the video & correct your work.
- Review your work with your parent or teacher.
If you get all 4 problems correct, your parent or teacher may tell you that you’re ready to move to the next book/article within this series.
Good Luck!
Drill & Kill
Challenge – 11
Problem 1748 x 5,796 |
Problem 2629 x 6,857 |
Problem 3538 x 9,432 |
Problem 4876 x 4,643 |
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Please read on!
The 5th Lesson in this series will begin after this brief message.
Each of my books includes 10 word problems and another 16 Drill & Kill problems. Each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial like the ones in this post. If you would like to purchase this book, click the Photo.
Book 5
Multiplying with Decimals (9.24 x 0.078)
Challenge 1 – Watch Me
Stealthy Sea Otters
These Stealthy Sea Otters live in a fishing port just north of San Francisco, California. They wait for the fishing boats to return with their catch, then they sneak in, all stealthy like, and steal some of the fish. Yesterday, a boat came in with 0.607 of a ton of fish. The Stealthy Sea Otters stole 0.048 of the fish. How many tons of fish did they steal?
Now – Press PLAY and watch the math tutorial video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
Challenge 2 – Work With Me
Randy & Candy
Randy & Candy love to play. They are a couple of thoroughbred racehorses. Randy and Candy are predicted to win The Kentucky Derby when they grow up. Last Tuesday they spent 9.69 hours running, jumping, and frolicking through the pasture. A television news reporter filmed 0.037 of the time that they were playing. How many hours was Randy and Candy’s the news report?
Now – Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together while you watch the math tutorial video below
Challenge 3 – On Your Own
Mabel the Milkweed Eating Monarch
Mabel the Milkweed Eating Monarch is hungry. She is crawling across a milkweed plant that has 2.804 pounds of leaves. Over the next two weeks, Mabel will eat 0.57 of those leaves. How many pounds of leaves will Mabel the Milkweed Eating Monarch eat?
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems like the three above. The books also include another 16 Drill & Kill problems like the 4 in challenge 11.
Drill & Kill
This is where we Drill until we Kill all our mistakes!
I call this section of the book, Drill & Kill, because we will drill this concept until we are perfect, and we kill any mistakes!
The following problems can all be solved with the same strategies we used to solve the first ten problems.
- Solve all four problems on each page.
- Watch the video & correct your work.
- Review your work with your parent or teacher.
If you get all 4 problems correct, your parent or teacher may tell you that you’re ready to move to the next book/article within this series.
Good Luck!
Drill & Kill
Challenge – 11
Problem 10.93 x 5.96 |
Problem 25.9 x 0.857 |
Problem 346 x 9.42 |
Problem 40.87 x 643 |
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Each of my books includes 10 word problems and another 16 Drill & Kill problems. Each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial like the ones in this post. If you would like to purchase this book, click the Photo.
Need Help with Division?
I have a series on division that is specifically designed for children who do not have all of their multiplication facts memorized. The series is designed in a similar manner to this series on multiplication, where each and every problem is linked to a video tutorial. Here is a link to my series on Division.
Thank you for reading this article!
Want More Tutorials?
TeachersDungeon is an Educational Fantasy Game. It is 100% FREE! The game is set to the Common Core Educational Standards, and is web-based, so it can be played on any device. Many of the questions are accompanied by tutorials like the ones you saw here.
One Last Thing
If you like this post and found it helpful, please leave a brief comment. As a teacher, perhaps the greatest reward I receive is from parents, children, and fellow teachers who use my strategies of education and succeed.
My mission in life and as an educator is to make people feel empowered, self-assured, and happy about who they are in this world! We all have gifts to bestow upon our world. Go forth and do so, and know that you are awesome!