Introducing Multiplication

Strand: Number
Outcome: 11

Step 4: Assess Student Learning

Guiding Questions

Look back at what you determined as acceptable evidence in Step 2.
What are the most appropriate methods and activities for assessing student learning?
How will I align my assessment strategies with my teaching strategies?

Sample Assessment Tasks

In addition to ongoing assessment throughout the lessons, consider the following sample activities to evaluate students' learning at key milestones. Suggestions are given for assessing all students as a class or in groups, individual students in need of further evaluation, and individual or groups of students in a variety of contexts.

A. Whole Class/Group Assessment

Examples of Group Assessment

B. One-on-One Assessment

Ask the student to make up a story problem showing repeated groups of equal size. Then ask the student how he or she would figure out the solution or total in a situation like this.
Use the following accommodations, if necessary:
- Use manipulatives that increase the likelihood of a multiplicative narrative; e.g., small models of people or animals, dishes, food models.
- Prompt the student to find a quicker way to count if he or she appears to be counting a total by ones.
- Provide a calculator for the student to show his or her understanding of the operation of multiplication or successive addition.
Show the student an array with some of the elements concealed; for example, put a piece of paper over a corner of an array of 3 rows by 4 columns of identical objects. Show the array very quickly before partially covering it so that the student knows it is an array. Ensure that the student can see how many rows and columns in the array, even when it is partially concealed. Ask the student to tell you how he or she would figure out the total number of elements in the array.
Use the following accommodations, if necessary:
- Ask the student to talk about the array in terms of the numbers of objects in each row and number of objects in each column.
- Prompt the student to find a quicker way if he or she appears to be visualizing the objects under the paper and counting by ones.
- Provide a calculator for the student to show his or her understanding of the operation of multiplication or successive addition.
Group 16 objects in four groups of four. Confirm the total number of objects with the student. Ask the student to create a different multiplication situation from the same number of objects. Ask the student to describe both situations using equations.
Use the following accommodations, if necessary:
- Ask the student to combine or split the existing groups to make larger or smaller groups of equal size.
- Ask the student to use oral language instead of equations to describe the multiplicative situation; i.e., "8 groups of 2 objects each makes 16."

C. Applied Learning

Provide opportunities for students to experience and describe multiplicative situations and contexts in everyday life.

Plan a snack, party, event or craft that involves multiples. Have students figure out totals that will be needed by their team or their small group for everyone to have fair shares or to be able to participate in an activity.
Go to http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=3 to play the game "Bobbie Bear." Can students organize their answers to help predict the number of outfits? How does this game relate to students' understanding of arrays? Rich discussions are possible as students discuss their solution strategies after they play this game.
Play a multiplication game that encourages students to skip count while keeping track of the number of groups they have counted, as well as to notice which numbers are more likely to occur as multiples of small numbers. Use a 6 x 6 chart, numbered consecutively from 1 to 36. Students can roll two dice and multiply the numbers by skip counting on the chart or keeping track with their fingers, leaving a coloured counter on the end product. Once a square is occupied another counter cannot cover it. After 10 turns or a set number of minutes, the student with the longest consecutive row, column or diagonal of counters in his or her colour wins the game.

Related Resources

Assessment in the Mathematics