The Fourth Grade Times

We learned double-digit by double-digit multiplication, using the standard algorithm. That’s the way our parents and teachers learned how to multiply, but we got there by learning different steps, like the Box Method, the FOIL Method, and the Four Subproblem Method. Starting as soon as we got back to school after the break, we started geometry, speficially polygons. A polygon is a shape with no rounded sides, all the sides have to connect, and there can’t be a line through the shape. We are also learning a lot of fancy polygon words like isosceles, equilateral, scalene, and quadrilateral.

This month in math we’ve been learning about double digit multiplication with arrays and boxes. We label the boxes with different multiplication sentences. For instance, 16×8 is split ino 10 and 6. Then we do 10×8, and 6×8. If you multiply all the math sentences and add the answers all together to get the one big answer. Then we do it with bigger two-digit numbers like 36×18. We have been practicing this a lot and we are all getting really good at it! We have also been playing math fact games, like Around the World, Multiplication Bingo, and Guess My Factor.  We even had an activity called “Multiplication Madness” where the entire Fourth Grade rotated through multiplication activites.  It was fun! 

We started the year reviewing subtraction with regrouping.  Then we moved on to area and perimeter!  We measured the area and perimeter of our feet, and we arranged chairs after reading Spaghetti and Meatballs for All.  Now we are learning about multiplication.  We are making sure we know all of our math facts so that we can move on to double-digit multiplication.  We can’t wait!