standard_description: Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
problem_activity: Narrative
The purpose of this True or False is to elicit strategies and understandings students have for multiplying one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10. The reasoning students do here helps to deepen their understanding of the associative property as they decompose multiples of ten to make multiplying easier.
Launch
Display one statement.
“Give me a signal when you know whether the statement is true and can explain how you know.”
1 minute: quiet think time
Activity
Share and record answers and strategy.
Repeat with each statement.
Student Facing
Decide if each statement is true or false. Be prepared to explain your reasoning.
\(2 \times 40 = 2 \times 4 \times 10\)
\(2 \times 40 = 8 \times 10\)
\(3 \times 50 = 15 \times 10\)
\(3 \times 40 = 7 \times 10\)
Student Response
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Activity Synthesis
“How can you justify your answer without finding the value of both sides?”
Consider asking:
“Who can restate _____’s reasoning in a different way?”
“Does anyone want to add on to _____’s reasoning?”
“Can we make any generalizations based on the statements?”


aligns: no