Keeping It Light and Fluffy! {Marshmallow Multiplication}

Alright...has anyone else had one of "those" weeks! You know...the ones that haunt you and give you nightmares for weeks on end!  Well...maybe it hasn't been THAT bad but I honestly never believed in the theory of THE "full moon" until I became a teacher! The little darlings have been a tad on the crazy side this week. So during this "time of the month" {hey...we all have them right???} that they feel their hands always have to be moving and their lips just tend to follow, I find every way imaginable to put those hands and mouths to good use. Needless to say...just about everything on my lesson plans have been revised...and revised...and revised! Where is that little poster about pretending that it is on the lesson plan again??? {Riiiiggghhhtt! wink! wink!}

Thanks to the world of blogging, I did a little borrowing to create a fun activity to get my kids all into multiplication {as if they needed motivation...they have been begging and dreaming about this day...I SWEAR!} Abby over at "THE" Inspired Apple used this same concept to teach place value. It worked PER.FECT for multiplication as well! Thanks Abby for all of your awesomeness!

Here is how my little marshmallow multiplication lesson went down:

I introduced the concept of multiplication using a Brainpop Jr. video with the all too famous Annie and Moby. After the initial introduction, we used marshmallows and fruit loops to show how we can use repeated addition to solve multiplication problems. For each problem, the students used marshmallows to show the number of groups and fruit loops to show the number of objects in each group.


My little crazies sweeties at work! They truly are the most amazing students ever...even on weeks where they are a little off their rockers!

This is short and sweet tonight. Friday is so calling my name!!!

A BIG TGI {Almost....almost...almost...}F!!!!!!!!

P.S. If something doesn't make sense or you see a trillion spelling errors...I am so blaming it ON THE KIDS!!!!! Ha!

7 comments:

  1. THANK YOU! I am teaching multiplication to kids with moderate to severe disabilities and this will be perfect. We've had a crazy week, too...that full moon is somethin' else! Have a great Friday tomorrow!
    -Claire at www.specialspeckledeggs.blogspot.com

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  2. How cute! Can't wait to use this to support repeated addition as a strategy for multiplication!

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  3. I saw the marshmallow place value idea too. This is great for multiplication. How is it your second graders are already doing multiplication??
    2B Honey Bunch

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  4. wow! you're into multiplication already??? I'm impressed!!
    I did the place value marshmallow activity with my kiddos..but that was before I entered blogland, so I had no idea where it came from - but now I do! :)

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  5. It has amazed me how far you can take your kiddos when you have them for a second year. I was able to squeeze a little extra in during our first grade year so we have been flying in second! Then we were able to hit the ground running at the beginning of the year since I knew exactly where we should begin and things that I could skip. I am enjoying the fun while it lasts unless they loop me again! :) Thanks ladies!

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  6. I love this!! Now if there were only something this wonderful for subtraction with regrouping!!

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    1. I love this idea as well. I will be using this with my second graders. I have introduced it with repeated addition but I think the hands on effect will work wonders. As far as the subtraction with regrouping, I use a strategy for those students that could not quite understand the "go next door to get 10 more" concept. It's as simple as CROSS, CHANGE, STICK. So for 23-19. Instead of saying go next door to get a set of 10 from the 2 and make it a 1 and make the 9 a 19, Just say CROSS (out the 2) CHANGE (the 2 to a 1) STICK( the the set of ten you took to the 9). After a while the kids just do it by habit. They have NO problems now. I wish I could do illustrations. Just started this blogging thing.

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