Multiplication Can Be Easy!

Multiplication Can Be Easy!

Janet Lui

Title of the Book

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Preview

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Story (1 Friend)

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Story (1 friend - math)

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Story (2 Friends)

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Story (2 friends - math)

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Story (3 Friends)

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Story (3 friends - math)

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Story (4 Friends)

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Story (4 friends - math)

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Story (Surprise)

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Too Many Monkey Things to Do

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End of Story Reflection Responses

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Reference and Special Thanks

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Preview

Many students feel multiplication is hard, which makes them try to avoid learning it and lose interests in class. This story, Multiplication Can Be Easy!, is especially designed for those students who have difficulty with multiplication. Throughout this story, students will be able to understand multiplication through solving problems in the story with clearer lens. Enjoy!

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“Hi, Rat! It’s my birthday. Will you play with me?”

“Sorry, Monkey, I have too many rat things to do. I have to bake one cake, spread two colors of frosting, decorate the cake with three flowers, and add four big candles.”

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1 friend (Rat)

1 x 1 cake = 1 cake

1 x 2 colors of frosting = 2 colors of frosting

1 x 3 flowers = 3 flowers

1 x 4 candles = 4 candles

“That’s 10 rat things!”

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“I guess I’ll jump down the river. Maybe the rabbit and the snake will play with me.”

“Hey, there, Rabbit! Hey, there, Snake! Do you want to play with me? Today’s my birthday,” said Monkey.

“Sorry, Monkey, we have too many rabbit-snake things to do.” said Rabbit.

“We each have to slice one kiwi, squeeze two oranges, pour three cans of ginger ale, and scoop four big scoops of sherbet.” replied Snake.

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2 friends (Rabbit and Snake)

2 x 1 kiwi = 2 kiwis

2 x 2 oranges = 4 oranges

2 x 3 cans of ginger ale = 6 cans of ginger ale

2 x 4 scoops of sherbet = 8 scoops of sherbet

“That’s 20 rabbit-snake things!”

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“I guess I’ll run to the farm. Cow, Hen, and Sheep live there. Maybe Cow, Hen, and Sheep will play with me.”

“Hi, Cow! Hi, Hen! Hi, Sheep! Today is my birthday. Won’t you play with me?” asked Monkey.

“Sorry, Monkey, we have too many cow-hen-sheep things to do. We each have to find one box, wrap it with two sheets of wrapping paper, tape it with three pieces of tape, and tie four ribbons into a big bow.” Cow, Hen, and Sheep replied together.

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3 friends (Cow, Hen, Sheep)

3 x 1 box = 2 box

3 x 2 sheets of wrapping paper = 6 sheets of wrapping paper

3 x 3 pieces of tape = 9 pieces of tape

3 x 4 ribbons = 12 ribbons

“That’s 30 cow-hen-sheep things!”

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"I guess I'll jog to the meadow. The Dog, Dragon, Pig, and Tiger hang out there. Maybe they will play with me."

“Hello, Dog, Dragon, Pig, and Tiger! Would you like to play with me? Today is my birthday,” said Monkey.

“Sorry, Monkey, we have too many dog-dragon-pig-tiger things to do.” Said Dog and Dragon.

“We each have to plan one game, hang two streamers, make three prizes, and blow up four big balloons.” Said Pig and Tiger.

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4 friends (Dog, Dragon, Pig, and Tiger)

4 x 1 game = 4 game

4 x 2 streamers = 8 streamers

4 x 3 prizes = 12 prizes

4 x 4 balloons = 16 balloons

“That’s 40 dog-dragon-pig-tiger things!”

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“All the other animals have too many things to do. No one will play with Monkey.” Monkey said to himself with disappointment.

“Hey, Monkey, come on back. We have a surprise for you!” exclaimed Horse.

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“HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We really had too many monkey things to do!” all 11 animals shouted out together.

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End of Story Reflection Responses:

1. Social Studies - 12 Animals. Throughout the story, there are many animals that Monkey tried to play with. Can you name those animals? Is there anything special about those animals?

2. Literacy - Make a different ending. How would you change the ending? Explain why.

3. Math - multiplication. How does addition help multiplication? Did this story help you understand what multiplication really is? Do you see that multiplication is everywhere around us in our lives? Express your thoughts.

4. Math - real world problem. Look at things in the real world - shoes, tricycle wheels, and table legs - and help your partner make a list of items that come in twos, threes, and fours. Ask questions like "If we have three tables, how many table legs do we have?"

5. Math + Literacy: Review the story and talk about the number of activities each animal has to do and the total number of activities that have to be done.

Challenge: Money - Set up a snack stand. Find a variety of treats to sell - cups of lemonade, cookies, apples, etc. - and price each kind of food differently. Use multiplication to figure our how much money each customer owes.

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References and Special Thanks to:

Dunn Elementary (Math pic - TOC)

Davidson Academy (Math pic - cover)

Fotolia - cartoon monkey smiling (Monkey)

Webweaver's Free Clipart (Rabbit)

Gallery of Amazing Cartoon (Dog)

amfog (Cow)

Foopets (Horse)

i Stock Photo (Rat)

Clipart for FREE (Sheep)

Chicken Cartoon clip art (Hen)