This lesson presents a hands-on partner activity to introduce second graders to making rectangular arrays. Students will use number dice to roll numbers and then build the coordinating array. An equation will be written to show the sum of the equal addends.
This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
This second-grade learning activity extends students' understanding of arrays into problem-solving situations. This activity is designed to be in the elaborate portion of the 5E lesson plan format.
This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
Students will construct arrays when given the number of rows and columns. The students will generate an equation to match their array model. This activity is designed to fit into the explain portion of a 5E formatted lesson plan.
Students will be introduced to arrays in this second-grade engagement activity. As students examine real-world examples of arrays, they will use terms such as rows and columns to describe the array. In a whole group discussion, the teacher will use student observations to highlight the different attributes of arrays that make them a useful model for repeated addition.
In this activity, the students will look at concrete representations, followed by pictorial representations of arrays. Students will write equations, using repeated addition, to determine the total number of objects in a rectangular array.
Students get the foundation for understanding multiplication and division in second grade. The first layer in building this foundation is a concrete understanding. They will use objects as counters to create equal groups. Making equal groups, drawing pictures, and using repeated addition all build a strong foundation for third grade, where students will dive right into multiplication and division.
