Multiplication Tables Overview
Details of e-lessons at http://members.cox.net/e-lessons (Email David at tei@cox.net)
These 17 e-lessons are based on the Waldorf Teaching Packs: Multiplication Tables - details at:
http://members.cox.net/waldorfedu/waldorfeduPages/Math.html
Powerpoint presentation at: mhtml:http://members.cox.net/waldorfedu5/powerpoint/P_MultiplicationTables.mht
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E-L XT01 Introduction to the 2-12 Times Tables (SU1pp1-6 )
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT01IntroductionTimesTables.pdf
Free lesson for teachers to the 2-12 Times Tables

E-L XT02 Two Times Table: Josie’s Surprise (SU1pp6-15 )
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT02TwoTimesTableJosiesSurprise.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/game/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the two times table

E-L XT03 Three Times Table: Ramiro & the Jiwi Fruit (SU1pp16-24)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT03ThreeTimesTableRamiroJiwiFruit.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/game/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the three times table

E-L XT04 Four Times Table: The Princess and the Castle (SU1pp25-35)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT04FourTimesTableThePrincessCastle.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/drama/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the four times table

E-L XT05 Five Times Table: The Great Court Jester's Son (SU2pp7-15)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT05FiveTimesTableGreatCourtJestersSon.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/template/game/cooperative learning activities about the five times table

E-L XT06 Six Times Table: Ivy Lee's Chickens (SU2pp16-24)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT06SixTimesTableIvyLeesChickens.pdf
Free lesson /activities /two stories/game/cooperative learning activities about the six times table

E-L XT07 Seven Times Table: Michael and the Magic Sevens (SU2pp25-34)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT07SevenTimesTableMagicSevens.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/game/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the seven times table

E-L XT08 Eight Times Table: Spiders’ Shoes (SU3pp7-14)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT08EightTimesTableSpidersShoes.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the eight times table

E-L XT09 Nine Times Table: Zeki and the Cadi (SU3pp15-23)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT09NineTimesTableZekitheCadi.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/dance/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the nine times table

E-L XT10 Ten Times Table: Mr. Pickles (SU3pp24-32)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT10TenTimesTableMrPickles.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/game/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the ten times table

E-L XT11 Eleven Times Table: Sarah and the Soccer Tournament (SU4pp7-17)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT11ElevenTimesTableSoccerTournament.pdf
Free lesson/story/game/templates/drama/cooperative learning activities about the eleven times table

E-L XT12 Twelve Times Table: The Unfinished Quilt ( SU4pp18-27)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT12TwelveTimesTableUnfinishedQuilt.pdf
Free lesson /activities /story/game/patterns/cooperative learning activities about the twelve times table

E-L XT13 Two, Three and Four Times Tables: Patterns ( SU1pp36-41)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT13TwoThreeFourTimesTablesPatterns.pdf
Free lesson/activities/patterns/problem solving activities about the two/three/ four times tables

E-L XT14 Five, Six and Seven Times Tables: Patterns (SU2pp35-41)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT14FiveSixSevenTimesTablesPatterns.pdf
Free lesson/activities/patterns/problem solving activities about the five, six and seven times tables

E-L XT15 Eight, Nine and Ten Times Tables: Patterns (SU3pp33-40)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT15EightNineTenTimesTablesPatterns.pdf
Free lesson/activities/patterns/problem solving activities about the eight, nine and ten times tables

E-L XT16 Multiplication Activities1: Square Numbers and Factors (SU4pp28-33)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT16XActivities1SquareNumbersFactors.pdf
Free lesson/activities/problem solving/review exercises about square numbers and factors

E-L XT17 Multiplication Activities2: Two Place Factors and Special Numbers (SU4pp34-40)
http://members.cox.net/tei1/XT17XActivities2TwoPlaceSpecialNumbers.pdf
Free lesson/activities/problem solving/review exercises about two place factors and special numbers

17 free e-lessons on multiplication tables are provided. Most of the lessons are about specific Multiplication Tables (E-L XT02 to E-L XT12 - Multiplication Tables 2 to 12). Each of these lessons includes a story and a variety of activities including pattern and cooperative learning activities. Some lessons also contain game and template activities while E-L XT04 ( Four Times Table) and E-L XT11 ( Eleven Times Table) includes dramas “Princess Starlight” and “The Soccer Tournament” respectively. E-L XT09 ( Nine Times Table) includes a dance activity “Square Dance the Nines”.

E-L XT13 ( Two, Three and Four Times Tables), E-L XT14 (Five, Six and Seven Times Tables), E-L XT15 (Eight, Nine and Ten Times Tables), E-L XT16 (Multiplication Activities1: Square Numbers and Factors) and E-L XT17 ( Multiplication Activities2: Two Place Factors and Special Numbers) contain a variety of review, problem solving and other activities.

Stories are “Josie's Surprise!” ( Two Times Table), “Ramiro and the Jiwi Fruit” ( Three Times Table), “The Princess and the Castle” ( Four Times Table), “The Great Court Jester's Son” ( Five Times Table), Ivy Lee’s Chickens ( Six Times Table), “Michael and the Magic Sevens” ( Seven Times Table), “Spiders’ Shoes” ( Eight Times Table), “Zeki and the Cadi” ( Nine Times Table), “Mr. Pickles” ( Ten Times Table), “Sarah and the Soccer Tournament” ( Eleven Times Table) and “The Unfinished Quilt” ( Twelve Times Table).

1. Students need to know their multiplication tables. However, it is more important for students to understand what they are doing than to learn how to solve problems or to compute without such understanding. Students will gain this understanding if content and methodology relate to their experience of the world. Our material facilitates this learning in an efficient and sensitive manner.

2. The approach we recommend emphasizes teaching through a variety of creative and artistic formats that relate to the students’ stage of development. It concerns itself initially with the inner life of the student (each multiplication table is introduced through a story). After involving the “inner child”, the approach moves gradually to the students’ contact with the outer world. The process starts, therefore, in the affective realm, moves to action and the world of concrete experience, and only then to concept.

3. One has only to observe young elementary school children to see that they are imaginative and active. The corner-stone of the approach are these two attributes. On the one hand, the imagination is stimulated. This is achieved through a variety of creative and artistic formats including stories and dramas. On the other hand, a number of activities, especially those containing rhythms, are introduced. Through this process, understanding occurs which is meaningful and permanent. Thus students learn from and through their own experience - the teacher’s task here is to provide the right structures, content and methodology.

4. Students need to express they information they learn in a variety of creative, artistic and imaginative formats. By doing this knowledge and skills learned becomes experience and are retained. The material contains a considerable number of student activities and assignments to facilitate this. Students review the material by completing a range of review exercises encompassing a variety of interesting and challenging formats.

Our material is unique and further information is available at
http://members.cox.net/waldorfedu/waldorfeduPages/Math.html

The Imagination: The elementary school child's world is an imaginative one; it is one of color and pictorial representation. Consequently storytelling is used extensively to stimulate the imagination, and to relate to the students' inner life and experience. From this beginning, the student is led gently towards symbolic representation, and a grasp of concepts. It is an effective method of teaching to both the left and right hand brain - to encourage both intuitive and linear thinking.

Rhythmic Action: Younger elementary school children generally respond immediately and spontaneously to rhythm. Rhythm is a natural part of their world. The popularity of the playground swings, the jump rope games, the skipping games, and the ball games with accompanying rhymes, all reflect rhythm within children, and their desire to involve themselves in rhythmic activity. It is a very natural step therefore to use rhythm in the early teaching of multiplication. This may be done in a number of ways.

Rhythmic counting generally finds an enthusiastic response with young children. For example rhythmic counting may accentuate every fourth number - for instance the numbers 4, 8, 12 etc. are spoken louder than the rest. This is also effective when accompanied by movement such as clapping or striding. For example, a group counting from 1 to 36 would clap their hands when saying 3, 6, 9 etc.: or make a stride forward on these numbers. If the numbers between are gradually spoken softly then eventually the children will just be calling out the multiples of 3 or the multiples of 4 etc. Chanting the tables also has a place. This is even more effective if the chanting is accompanied by some kind of physical movement such as marching or clapping.

The sequence of teaching is as follows.
First Stage: The first stage is to relate material to the experience of children. It is accepted that this experience is different from the adults’ experience. In essence, children are not miniature adults. When teaching adults we would probably teach immediately to the “head”, whereas for elementary school children the main task is to teach to the “heart” and “hands”. Wherever possible, content is introduced so that it relates to artistic and pictorial representation, e.g. through storytelling. Through this type of format, information is absorbed in a way that is in empathy with the students’ experience.

Second Stage: The second stage is to encourage the students to express their experience through a variety of artistic formats. This stage should not be hurried and the children should be given enough time to work through a number of formats according to ability, aptitude and temperament. This is the time when patterning activities should be introduced so that the patterns of multiplication are experienced and created.

Third Stage: The third stage is to work through concrete examples. This may be achieved using various kinds of manipulatives, through involvement in activities and games, and through problem solving. Rhythmic activities and chanting would also be appropriate at this stage.

Fourth Stage: The final stage is to introduce the abstract concepts and to work symbolically with numbers. This is when computational practice would be appropriate.