This icebreaker can be used after students have looked at different ways to represent multiplication. The attached pdf includes eight 2-digit multiplication problems represented on separate cards through an area model, the distributive property, partial product multiplication and a word problem. The same problems are also represented with stick multiplication, in case you want to give some students an extra challenge.

The activity is also a fun way to break a class into small groups for the next activity. Students should work with whoever they get paired up with. Make sure that there is at least one match for everyone. The number of matching cards (area model, distributive property, partial product, word problem, and stick multiplication) determines the number of people in each group. If you want three people in each group, for example, you might give out only the area model, partial product and word problem cards. There 8 sets of multiplication (15×22, 12×12, 23×11, 26×17, 24×19, 28×13, 25×21 and 15×15) and 5 representations.

Prep: Cut out the cards.

Instructions:

• Give each participant a card. Tell participants to find the person or people in the room who have a match for your multiplication representation card.
• Participants should sit with these people for the next activity.

Processing

• How was this activity for you? Were any of these representations new to you? What was it like to try to figure out what it meant?
• How could this be useful in a class? Ideas might include:
  • collaboration
  • practice with multiplication
  • problem-solving

Thanks @PatriciaHelmuth for sharing this activity. Inspired by a lesson by Lori Daniel at CPALMS.org.