“Sue has 12 coins.
Abe has 5 times as many coins.
How many coins does Abe have?”
Here is a video of a teacher introducing the model drawing
concept to fourth grade students using multiplication comparison problems. I love to see how excited the students get
when the lightbulb goes on and they understand how to get the answer! Notice how the teacher asks students to share
their thinking, their strategy… Also,
notice how the teacher emphasizes place value as students are sharing their
strategies and the class is talking. We
want to teach the most efficient methods with students, while honoring the
multiple strategies children utilize.
