Are your students tired of flashcards? Are YOU tired of them? We can all fall into a rut when it comes time to teach multiplication. But this multiplication lesson plan shakes thinks up by combining art and math. It’s a STEAM experience your students will love.
Flower bundles multiplication lesson plan
You’ll need:
- pencils (seen make one “stamp”)
- rubber bands
- paper
- paint (tempera)
Directions:
Take seven pencils, all facing the same direction, and wrap your rubber bands around the bundle to create a tight group. You can make as many pencil bundles as you like, depending on how many paint colors you plan on using or how many students will be doing the activity at one time.
Then lay out a piece of paper for each student as well as paint colors. Students will carefully stamp the bundles (eraser ends) in paint and then put it on the paper. Let them go wild creating designs.When they’re finished with their design, they count how many groups they made. They tally up the total number of groups, and multiply that by seven, writing out the multiplication equation as they go.
Then, when they’re finished with their design, surprise them with the multiplication component! Students count how many groups they made. They take that total number of groups, and multiply that by seven, writing out the multiplication equation as they go. They use the equation to determine how many eraser marks total are on their page.
You can even create different size pencils bundles to try multipliers of other numbers. The best part is, this multiplication lesson plan doubles as a work of art.
Looking for even more creative ways to teach multiplication? You know we have you covered! Check out this list for more than 20 ideas.
Guest blogger Erin Bittman from E is for Explore is doing a cross-curricular series on art and math. Come back every Tuesday to see a new post and to find out how you can take mathematical learning to the next level.
