Lesson Plan
Foundations of the Commutative Property
Let your students explore similarities and differences between arrays, and help them understand the commutative property of multiplication. Use this as a stand alone lesson or as a prelesson for *Parking Lot Multiplication*.
Grade:
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Objectives
Academic
Students will be able to make arrays to represent the commutative property of multiplication.
Language
Students will be able to explain the similarities and differences between array representations of multiplication problems using sentence starters and peer supports.
Introduction
(2 minutes)- Draw an array on the board with two rows of six dots. Facilitate a think-pair-share by instructing students to think about how they would describe the image on the board.
- Have students talk to a partner and describe what they see. Then, call on students to share with the whole group. Listen for the vocabulary students use, and note whether they mention any of the tiered words you'll go over in this lesson.
- Tell the class that you drew an array on the board, which is an arrangement of the dots in columns and rows. Point out the columns and the rows to provide a visual for students. Tell them that this is a visual representation of a multiplication problem (2 x 6).
- Go over the student-friendly Language Objective and share that students will be exploring the similarities and differences between arrays during this lesson.