Multiplication and Division - 1 and 12 times tables - Planning

In the Year 4 curriculum, students are expected to recall multiplication and division facts for tables up to 12 × 12 and to use their understanding of place value and derived facts to perform mental arithmetic. This includes multiplying by 0 and 1, dividing by 1, and multiplying three numbers together. They are also taught to recognise factor pairs and the commutative property to aid their mental calculations. Additionally, students learn to multiply multi-digit numbers by single-digit numbers using a formal written layout. Key vocabulary for this unit includes terms such as multiplication, division, decimals, equal groups, repeated addition, arrays, multiplier, factor, multiplicand, product, and the associative law. The lesson begins with a focus on the 11 and 12 times tables, using base ten blocks and differentiated worksheets to aid understanding. Students are encouraged to use partitioning to simplify multiplication with these higher times tables.

The lesson plan includes a starter activity where students recap the 11 and 12 times tables, noticing patterns such as the repetition of digits in the 11 times table up to 99, and exploring partitioning as a strategy for simplification. For example, partitioning 11 into ten and one helps students understand why multiplying by 11 results in numbers like 22 (2 tens and 2 ones) or 55 (5 tens and 5 ones). Similarly, partitioning 12 into ten and two aids in calculations such as 4 × 12, which can be broken down into 4 tens (40) and 4 twos (8) to make 48. Children practise these skills independently and then share their findings in the plenary session. Key questions encourage students to think about how previously learned times tables relate to the 11 and 12 times tables and how to use known facts to calculate new ones. The lesson aims to address common misconceptions, such as difficulties in adding partitioned numbers, by reinforcing knowledge of tens and ones. Activities are differentiated to cater to varying levels of understanding, from working towards the expected level to achieving greater depth in multiplication concepts.