Learning Multiplication

Caleb is learning multiplication tables at home. It is a contest throughout the class. They have to take a test everyday on a times table and they have to do 0-12 of each table in under a minute. They have to make a hundred on each times table twice before they can move to the next. They did 0's one's and two's all in one day. They only took the two's the second day. Caleb made a hundred on both and today moves on to three's. I wasn't sure how they were going to be doing it, so Caleb has learned up to his four's.

I made him flashcards for him to learn the tables with, then I test him. Our rule is that since he has to know them and be able to do it in under a minute, at home he has to learn to be able to do it in 30 seconds or less, that way if he gets nervous or stuck, he is used to doing it quicker (and it is more of a challange for him!). Last night I gave him the flashcards for the fours. He went through them twice and asked to be tested. He did the fours the first time I tested him, in under 30 seconds and stayed consistent through four or five tests.

He was saying he was going to have a hard time when he got to the eights and nines. I explained to him that when he got to those tables he would already know most of them. He looked at me with a confused look and I explained that he already knows what 2x8, 3x8, 4x8, etc were, so when he got to those tables he would really only have to learn 8x8, 8x9, 8x12, 9x9, 9x12. He got really excited! Especially since he already knows 0-5's, 10's and 11's. He is almost done already!

He is already asking to learn division. I said he needed to learn multiplication first and then learn when to use division. He told me a problem and said that he would use division to solve the problem. He was right. He has down when to use division already, so once he learns multiplication - I have a feeling division will be an instant learn!