LEGO baseplate
LEGO minifigures
Multiplication cards with various multiplication problems
Preparation:
Gather a LEGO baseplate and a sufficient number of LEGO minifigures.
Prepare multiplication cards with different multiplication facts (e.g., 9 x 2, 5 x 3).
Setting Up the Activity:
Explain the concept of multiplication as making equal groups.
Show an example using LEGO minifigures to demonstrate how multiplication can be represented visually.
Creating Groups:
Students pick a multiplication card (e.g., 9 x 2).
Using the LEGO baseplate, they create groups based on the multiplication fact. For 9 x 2, they make 9 groups with 2 LEGO minifigures in each group.
Exploring the Commutative Property:
Once the groups are created, students check if the multiplication fact works in reverse by creating 2 groups of 9 LEGO minifigures.
They observe that 9 groups of 2 and 2 groups of 9 both result in 18 minifigures, demonstrating the commutative property of multiplication.
Discussion and Reinforcement:
Discuss with students how the LEGO minifigure groups represent multiplication.
Encourage students to create multiple groups with different multiplication facts to reinforce their understanding.
Repetition and Practice:
Repeat the process with different multiplication cards to practice various multiplication problems.
Allow students to share and discuss their LEGO minifigure groups with classmates to reinforce their learning.