K-5 friendly lesson

Try one idea, then jump into the activity.These lessons are designed to feel short, friendly, and easy to follow.

Make arrays to model multiplication

Multiply rows and columns! 🌟 A fun way to see multiplication is to build a grid of items called an array.

Lesson 1

Concept

An array is just a grid of items arranged in rows and columns. **Rows** go side-to-side (across). **Columns** go up-and-down. When you multiply the number of rows by the number of columns, you get the total number of items! Try building a 4 × 5 array below to see it in action.

Try it

Let's build an array! **Instructions:** Use the sliders below to build a 4 × 5 array (4 rows and 5 columns). **Question 1:** How many total items are in a 4 × 5 array? * Answer: ___