Grade 3 Multiplication

If you can add, you can multiplyThis book takes a child who already has proficiency in basic addition to proficiency in basic multiplication as well. This corresponds roughly to the arithmetic taught – but not necessarily learned – in the first semester of third grade in most U.S. public schools.Prior to starting this book, the child should be proficient at adding two single digit numbers, and capable of adding a single digit number to a double digit number. Children who are not yet proficient at that level of addition would be better off starting with  Grade 1 Addition (Kumon Math Workbooks) . Full proficiency with multidigit addition, such as from  Grade 2 Addition (Kumon Math Workbooks)  or  Grade 3 Addition & Subtraction (Kumon Math Workbooks) , is not required.This book consists of 43 double pages of problems, with some front matter and an answer key in the back. The approach taken in the book is to introduce multiplication as repeated addition, but also to use multisensory exercises as well as drills to facilitate memorization. The 43 double pages are as follows:1-4 (8 pages) address explicit repeated addition. Page pair 1 starts with one page introducing the concept, with exercises on adding two of the same digit, then three of the same digit, then four of the same digit, for a variety of digits; the second page of the pair then has the student add three 2s, then four 2s, all the way up to nine 2s, and then similarly from three 3s to nine 3s. Page pairs 2 and 3 repeat the sequence of adding three to nine of the same digit for the digits 4 through 9 and three to seven of the digit 1. The last few questions of page pair 3, and all of page pair 4, are review of repeated addition, with the questions randomly selected rather than sequential for each digit.5-7 (6 pages) cover multiplication of twos, as follows.In first page of page pair 5, the student first fills in the boxes on the end of five progressions of numbers by two, for example after a progression of 2, 4, 6, and 8, filling in 10, 12, and 14; this helps ingrain counting by twos. Then there are nine questions covering 2×1=2 to 2×9=18 where the student is expected to trace the equation, which appears in light grey, while also saying the equation, with the English sentence for the equation written in small print below the equation. This means the student is visually reading the information while saying the information, hearing what is said, and writing the information, all at the same time. This multisensory approach has been shown to aid in memorization.In the second page of page pair 5, the number sentences are repeated but with only the numbers being multiplied appearing on the page, and only the product being written down; after that, there is a section of straight multiplication problems.Page pair 6 has two more sections of reading and filling in equations while saying them aloud, one with the equations in order and one with them in random order, interspersed with two sections of multiplication problems. Page pair 7 has one section of reading and filling in equations, this time requiring the student to figure out the answer, and three sections of multiplication problems.8-10 (6 pages) are a repeat of page pairs 5-7, but with threes instead of twos.11 (2 pages) is 40 multiplication problems reviewing 2x and 3x, and 20 problems involving figuring out what number one needs to multiply by to obtain a particular result, for example 2x[_]=6. The latter helps ensure that the concept of multiplication is retained as well as the memorized facts, and also helps set the stage for division and simple algebra.12-14 (6 pages) cover multiplication of fours, in the same pattern as was done for twos and threes.15-17 (6 pages) cover multiplication of fives similarly.18 (2 pages) reviews 4x and 5x.19 (2 pages) reviews 2x through 5x, with 50 multiplication problems, and completing two multiplication tables, of 2 through 5 times 2 through 9, that are initially partially filled in.20-27 (16 pages) are similar to 12-19, but for 6x and 7x instead of 4x and 5x.28-35 (16 pages) cover 8x and 9x similarly, except that page pair 35 includes 70 multiplication problems and omits the multiplication tables.36-37 (4 pages) are additional review of single digit multiplication, with 70 problems per page pair.38 (2 pages) consist of filling in four multiplication tables up to 9×9; in the final table, only the diagonal is initially prefilled.39-40 (4 pages) are similar to the first page pair for each preceding digit, for the digit 1 and the number 10, respectively.41 (2 pages) is a pair of review pages, similar to page pair 11, for 1x and 10x.42 (2 pages) is a review of multiplication facts to date, emphasizing the commutative property; thus, 2×3=6 is followed by 3×2=6, and the “fill in the blanks” problems don’t include the product, but instead are like 2×3=3x[_].43 (2 pages) is a final review, with 80 multiplication problems and 10 commutative property “fill in the blank” problems.The book provides an excellent job of combining learning of multiplication principles and memorization of multiplication facts. It has a lot of repetition throughout, which makes it suitable as a sole source for learning the material and not just as a supplement to regular schooling. By the end of the book, the child should be proficient in multiplying single digit numbers.On completion of the book, the child is ready to move on to [grade 3 division], which covers division of single and double digit numbers by single digit numbers, with single digit answers. In addition, the other Kumon grade 3 math books,  Grade 3 Addition & Subtraction (Kumon Math Workbooks) , Geometry & Measurement, Grade 3 , and  Word Problems (Kumon Math Workbooks Grade 3)  may be useful, especially if these books are to be used as a full home school curriculum, rather than just as a supplement to public or private schooling.Unlike many other workbooks, the Kumon workbooks focus on introducing a few concepts in each book and providing enough repetition to ensure the child becomes proficient with the material. My third grade daughter does not learn well in a public school classroom setting, but is a bit ahead in math thanks to previous Kumon workbooks; I used this workbook in the first few months of third grade to keep her ahead and progressing. While she sometimes resisted the spoken parts of the exercises and scratched out some of the English text accompanying some of the problems, she was nonetheless able to do all the problems in the final review perfectly.