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Year 3 Maths | Learn, see, try

Multiplication starts with equal groups

Three baskets with five apples in each basket contain the same total as 5 + 5 + 5. Multiplication gives us a shorter way to describe that repeated group. Before remembering a fact, it helps to see what the numbers stand for.

What to notice

Check that every group has the same number. Three baskets holding 5, 2 and 7 apples cannot be described as three groups of five.

What to do

Count the groups, then count the objects in one group. Write groups × objects in each group. Sketch rows of dots if keeping track in your head is difficult.

Why it works

Each row contributes the same amount. Counting by that amount reaches the total without counting every dot separately. Turning an array changes the rows and columns, but does not add or remove dots.

Work through an example

There are 4 rows of 3 seeds. How many seeds are there?

Four rows of three dots: twelve seeds altogether.
  1. Draw four rows and put three seeds in every row.
  2. Count the rows: 3, 6, 9, 12. Each jump adds one complete row.
  3. Write 4 × 3 = 12. The answer counts seeds, not rows.

A common mistake

Adding 4 + 3 counts the number of rows and the number in one row, not all the seeds. Point to each of the twelve dots to check what is being counted.

A strategy to try

Use a fact you know. If 5 × 3 is 15, then 4 × 3 is one group of three less: 15 − 3 = 12. Explain the missing group rather than just saying the answer.

Try it now

Try three questions

No account is needed. These examples do not change saved learning progress. Choose an answer and check it for an explanation; you can try again.

1. There are 3 bags with 5 shells in each. How many shells altogether?

2. An array has 4 rows of 6 dots. How many dots are in the array?

3. Three children each collect 8 leaves. What is the total?

For parents and carers

Try arranging bottle tops in rows. Ask, “How many groups? How many in each?” If your child counts each object first, accept that starting point, then show how skip-counting describes the same arrangement.

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