Multiplication and division – Grade 3 math lesson
Lesson 2 of 15 in the Grade 3 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 3 (ages 8–9) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 3 (ages 8–9)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “How does an array show both 3 × 4 and 4 × 3?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Groups that are not equal. Check every group has the same number before you multiply.
- Thinking 12 ÷ 3 is the same as 3 ÷ 12. Act it out: 12 sweets shared by 3 people.
Tip for home: Count things in equal groups: legs on chairs, wheels on cars, eggs in a box.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: understand multiplying as equal groups and dividing as sharing or grouping.
Success looks like
- I can make equal groups.
- I can write a multiplication and a division for an array.
- I can solve sharing and grouping problems.
Key words
- equal groups
- groups with the same number in each
- array
- objects in rows and columns
- multiply
- find the total of equal groups
- divide
- share equally or group
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Make equal groups with pasta or counters, then line them into an array. Share 12 things between 3 plates. No counters? Draw dots in rows to make arrays.
The big ideas (for the adult)
Multiplying means adding equal groups: 4 groups of 3 is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3, written 4 × 3 = 12.
An array shows rows and columns. 3 rows of 5 and 5 rows of 3 have the same total, so 3 × 5 = 5 × 3.
Dividing is sharing into equal groups or finding how many groups fit: 12 ÷ 3 = 4. It undoes multiplying.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 3 math lessons
- Multiplication facts
- Solving word problems
- Rounding to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000
- Adding with the standard algorithm
- Subtracting with the standard algorithm
- Number lines
- Equivalent fractions
- Recognizing fractions
- Comparing and simplifying fractions
- Area of rectangles
- Perimeter
- Line plots
- Bar graphs, picture graphs and tables
- Elapsed time and schedules
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 3.OA.B.5: “Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide. Examples: If 6 × 4 = 24 is known, then 4 × 6 = 24 is also known. (Commutative property of multiplication.) 3 × 5 × 2 can be found by 3 × 5 = 15, then 15 × 2 = 30, or by 5 × 2 = 10, then 3 × 10 = 30. (Associative property of multiplication.) Knowing that 8 × 5 = 40 and 8 × 2 = 16, one can find 8 × 7 as 8 × (5 + 2) = (8 × 5) + (8 × 2) = 40 + 16 = 56. (Distributive property.)”
Common Core State Standards 3.NBT.A.3: “Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.