Multiplication Strategies Task Cards

Do you have 4th and 5th grade students who don't have automaticity with their multiplication facts? Do they sit blankly when presented with a multiplication fact they do not automatically know? This multiplication strategies resource is just for those students!

About the Multiplication Strategies Task Cards

This resource is a set of multiplication strategy task cards (198 task cards in all). The task cards are meant to provide your students with multiplication practice using specific multiplication strategies.

After introducing a multiplication strategy, I use these task cards in a math center or as an intervention lesson. The goal of this resource is to get the students familiar with using the different strategies which will lead to them eventually choosing the ones that are most efficient for them and for the specific problem they are solving.

NOTE: I have included posters for each multiplication strategy to help you introduce and model the strategy. Please note that this resource is not meant to provide the instruction on the strategy. I recommend doing this through number talks or a multiplication mini-lessons using the posters to guide you.

Here are the multiplication strategies included *Each strategy includes 18-24 task cards):

•Repeated Addition – The students will solve multiplication problems using repeated addition.

•Decomposing Strategy: Using Arrays #1 – The arrays have been decomposed with matching multiplication problems to scaffold.

•Decomposing Strategy: Using Arrays #2 – Arrays have been included, but they are not decomposed. Students will decompose them.

•Decomposing Strategies – Students will solve the multiplication problems by using the “decomposed” friendly multiplication problems (without the use of arrays).

•Using 1s, 2s, and 5s – Similar to the decomposing strategy, but in this strategy, the students will use 1s, 2s, and 5s to help them solve harder problems. The multiplication problems have been decomposed already.

•Using Skip Counting – Students will use skip counting to solve facts with 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s.

•Advanced Skip Counting - Students will use skip counting by 2s and 5s to solve other multiplication problems.

•Add a Group – Students will use their knowledge of 2, 3, and 5 facts to solve 3, 4, and 6 facts.

•Take Away a Group – Students will use their knowledge of facts with 5s and 10s to solve facts with 4s and 9s.

Answer keys, direction pages, and recording sheets are included for each task card set.

***If your 4th and 5th graders still struggle understanding multiplication conceptually, they may struggle with these strategies as they build their understandings. The strategies are conceptual so using these will help. However, if your students need remediation on conceptual multiplication, check out my Multiplication Intervention Task Cards by clicking here.