7x - 7x7 CanDoTables Mat

The CanDoTables Mat is an educational resource designed to help students explore and understand the concept of multiplication, specifically focusing on the number 7. The mat presents a variety of activities that encourage learners to "Draw it," "Derive it," "Deepen it," and "Dissect it." The activities begin with the multiplication fact of 7 times 7, which equals 49, and expand upon this through different representations and related calculations. Students are prompted to fill in blanks to complete equations, such as 7 times 7 being the sum of multiple 7s added together.

Additionally, the mat includes a "bar" and "number line" to visually represent the number 49, and it encourages students to think about multiplication in terms of "groups" and "arrays." It poses questions about factors and multiples, reinforcing the relationship between multiplication and division. The mat also integrates real-life word problems involving distances, weights, and quantities to apply the concept of multiplication in practical scenarios. For example, students calculate the daily cycling distance if a total of 490 km is covered in a week, or the total weight of rock dug by the seven dwarves. The resource concludes with "scaling" exercises, where students practice multiplying and dividing by 7 and 70 to find equivalents. This comprehensive approach ensures a deeper understanding of the number 7 within multiplication and division contexts.