Tny Attwd, 2012 Times Table Activities: Multiplicatin Times tables can be taught t many children simply as a cncept that is there with n explanatin as t hw r why it is there. And mst children will find this a perfectly acceptable way f wrking. But, fr thse with dyscalculia r fr thse with the symptms f dyscalculia caused by nt having grasped the fundamentals f number and additin, ging back t the basics f hw and why the tables wrk can be helpful. Thus n the multiplicatin activities that fllw the crucial element is the discvery f hw each times table wrks. There is als an element f predictin invlved this can be really helpful in getting the child t understand that there is lgic in each table, and that results can be predicted. 12
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 9: The tw times table Put a red cunter n the table and give the child a pile f red cunters fr the activities that fllw. Tell the child yu have ne red cunter n the table. Ask the child t put a secnd red cunter dwn and say tw red cunters. Cntinue this up t five. Nw put tw red cunters n the table, and the child says tw red cunters. Nw ask the child t add anther grup f tw. The child puts dwn anther grup f tw. Ask the child hw many cunters there are nw n the table the child shuld say fur. Repeat the prcess with three sets f tw, and the answer is six. Nw say t the child, Put tw cunters n the table, and say ne tw is tw. One tw means yu have ne grup f tw cunters n the table. The child shuld d it. Nw mve t adding a secnd grup f tw cunters. As the child puts them dwn the child shuld say, tw tws are fur. Lay ut the cunters s that it is clear there are tw grups f tw. Lay ut three grups f tw red cunters. Ask the child hw many grups there are. The answer is three. Ask the child what is in each grup. The answer is tw. Fllwing the previus pattern the child nw says, three tws are six. Cntinue up t 5 tws, unless the child is grwing tired r is making mistakes. 13
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 10: tw, three and fur times tables Shw the child the 2, 3 and 4 times tables, and ask the child t cnsider them in terms f even and dd numbers. What is nticed? The answer is that the 2 and 4 times tables nly include even numbers. And 2 and 4 are even numbers. The three times table cntains alternating even and dd numbers three is an dd number. Again what we are trying t d here is generate an interest in the fact that numbers d nt appear randmly, but generate sequences. Ask the child if she r he wuld make a predictin abut dd and even numbers fr the 5 times table. Will the answers in the table be: Randm Alternating dd and even All dd All even Ask the child t cmplete the wrk n the five times table, using the same technique as already established. At the end, cmpare the result with the predictin made earlier. If the child is wrng, g ver the prblem and see why. After asking sme questins such as, if we have a times table fr any even number wuld yu expect that the slutins wuld be even, dd r a mixture? mve n t, if we had a times table fr 12, wuld the answers be even, dd r a mixture. Ask the child t write dwn a very big number n a sheet f paper. The child might write anything but let s say it is 903847. Ask the child t tell yu smething abut that number. The answer is that in the times table the answers will alternate dd (fr ne times 903847) and even. The aim shuld be that the child culd be able t say t an interested adult, write dwn a huge number and I will tell yu smething interesting abut its times table. If yu can get the child t d this at hme, then the child will be seriusly taking an interest in numbers. 14
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 11: Six times table Tell the child we are ging t wrk n the 6 times table tday. Ask the child t predict the answers. Will they be: a) Randm b) Alternating dd and even c) All dd d) All even Ask the child why. Shw the child the 6 times table, Nw ask the child if she r he can see any link between the three times table and the six times table. The answer shuld be f the same type as was fund fr the 2 and 4 times table the 6 times table takes every ther answer frm the 3 times table. Ask the child why this every ther answer effect ccurs. If the child des nt knw, put three cunters n the table, and then anther three, and ask hw many there are. Repeat this, taking the ttal t 9 and 12. Ask what the relatin is between three and six. The answer shuld be that six is tw threes, 12 is fur threes. Repeat this with tw and fur. Create the six times table as has been dne with ther tables, and check the predictins made in the last game. If any f the predictins are wrng, lk with the child t see hw this errr was made. Ideally the child shuld spt the errr and be able t see where she r he has gne wrng. 15
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 12: Seven and eight times tables Mve n t the 7 times table, wrking as befre. Ask the child t predict the answers. Will they be: Randm Alternating dd and even All dd All even Ask the child why he/she is making this predictin. Write ut the 7 times table fllwing the pattern used befre. Nw ask the child if she r he can see any link between the 7 times table and any ther. The answer shuld be n - apart frm the answers alternating even and dd, there is n link. Mve n t the 8 times table. Ask the child t predict the answers. Will they be: Randm Alternating dd and even All dd All even Ask the child why he/she is making this predictin. Nw ask the child if she r he can see any link between the eight times table and any ther table. The answer shuld be that the 8 times table takes every ther answer frm the 4 times table. Once this is established write ut the table. Ask the child why this every ther answer effect ccurs. If the child des nt knw, put fur cunters n the table, and then anther fur, and ask hw many there are. Ask what the relatinship is between fur and eight. The answer shuld be that eight is tw furs. 16
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 13: Nine Times Table Mve n t the 9 times table. Ask the child t predict the answers. Will they be: Randm Alternating dd and even All dd All even. Ask the child why this predictin is made, and then cmplete the table. When the child has cmpleted the table, ask the child if she r he can see any link between the numbers. The answer shuld be that there is a pattern in the answers the left number rises and the right number declines. In additin, the pair f numbers always adds up t 9. 9 0 + 9 = 9 18 1 + 8 = 9 27 2 + 7 = 9 36 3 + 6 = 9 45 4 + 5 = 9 54 5 + 4 = 9 63 6 + 3 = 9 72 7 + 2 = 9 81 8 + 1 = 9 90 9 + 0 = 9 17
Tny Attwd, 2012 Activity 14: Ten and Eleven Times Tables Ask the child t wrk with the 10 times table and set ut the answers mathematically and in a multi-sensry way. The child shuld be able t wrk thrugh the whle prcess, making predictins, writing ut the table, saying the table, and then drawing ut interesting pints in this case that the answer always ends in zer. Fr the multi-sensry element f the 10 times table, yu can use ten red cunters r ne blue cunter. Ask the child t lay ut the table bth ways and t say it. The statements will be the same either way ne ten is ten etc - but in ne case the child will be mving arund up t 100 red cunters, in the ther case, he r she will be mving 10 blue cunters. Nw ask the child t handle the 11 times table. Ask fr the usual predictins and nte that the predictins shuld be the same there is n change just because the number being multiplied is ver 10. In wrking in the multi-sensry apprach the child shuld be putting dwn ne red and ne blue cunter fr each 11. Thus 33 is represented by three blues and three reds. The child shuld be able t lk at this cmbinatin f red and blue and see the answer at nce if nt, yu shuld return t the earlier wrk n numbers t secure this awareness. The child shuld have n prblem ding the table in a multi-sensry way because all he r she has t d is put dwn ne mre cunter f each clur and see what the result is. 18