Module 4 Calculating
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Can I solve problems that involve multiplication as repeated addition?

Example review questions

  • You have got five 10p coins. How much money is this altogether? What calculation could you do?
    Five 10p coins
  • Four children have each been given £5 to spend while they are on holiday. How much money do they have altogether? How could you work this out?
  • How many socks are there altogether? How could you record this as a number sentence? Can you think of another number sentence you could write for this?
    Five pairs of socks
  • There are 10 packs of stickers. Each pack has 10 stickers. What calculation can you do to work out how many stickers there are altogether?

Teaching guidance

This teaching guidance document suggests some of the key vocabulary, models, images and practical equipment that children should experience and be able to use. It also includes some teaching tips to provide a few starting points for ways of supporting children with this area of mathematics.

PDF file Can I solve problems that involve multiplication as repeated addition? - teaching guidance | 86KB new window

Consolidation and practice

These resources are to support children in guided or independent work.

PDF file ITP Guide | 4317KB new window

SWF file Multiplication facts ITP | 26KB new window

PDF file Understanding multiplication and division models and images chart | 333KB new window

Supporting children with gaps in their mathematical understanding

PDF file Still counts in ones to find how many there are in a collection of equal groups | 73KB new window

PDF file Does not link counting up in equal steps to the operation of multiplication | 71KB new window

PDF file Resource booklet | 501KB new window

Opportunities to use and apply

Possible contexts include:

  • Representing thinking using symbols and diagrams, e.g. there are 8 pairs of socks. How many socks are there altogether? Draw a picture and write a multiplication number sentence to match this problem.
  • Reasoning, e.g. would you rather be given 2p a day for 10 days or 10p a day for three days? Explain why.
  • Money, e.g. working out how much money you've got in a pile of coins by first of all working out how much money you've got in the sets of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p coins, etc.
    How can you make 20p using 10p coins?
    Write this as a number sentence. Can you do the same using 2p and 5p coins?
    I have got five coins. They are all the same.
    How much money could I have altogether?
  • Word problems, e.g. Jo's box is 5cm wide. Mary's box is twice as wide as Jo's box. How wide is Mary's box?

Confirming learning

Ask probing questions such as:

  • Class 3 has six new packs of pencils. Each pack has ten pencils. What are the different ways that we could work how many pencils there are altogether? Which way would be quicker?
  • Write a number story where the same amount is added five times. What multiplication could you write to go with the story?
  • Harry has six packs of five stickers. He works out how many he has altogether like this: 5 add 5 makes 10, and then another 5 makes 15, and another 5 makes 20, another 5 makes 25, and then another 5 will make 30. How else could he have worked this out? Would another way be quicker? What would he need to know to work it out more quickly? (multiplication facts for 5)
  • Draw a picture to show me why 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 and 2 × 4 both equal 8.