As our highlighted lesson, the submitter was awarded a $50 honorarium. See our guidelines to submit yours!

Subject: Arithmetic
Grade: 3-5

Brief Description

Students use flyswatters and a shower curtain to learn and review multiplication facts.

Objectives

Students practice and review basic multiplication facts.

Keywords

multiplication, products, math facts

Materials Needed

• a shower curtain
• a paint pen
• index cards
• a pen
• two flyswatters
• pencils
• writing paper
• flash cards (optional)

Lesson Plan

Preparation

• Before doing the activity in class, purchase and prepare the shower curtain. A solid or clear curtain is acceptable, although one with a design is nicer. (A curtain with fish on it is appropriate when studying oceans, for example.)
• Using the paint pen, write the products of the multiplication facts to be addressed, and hang the curtain on a wall. (One curtain can easily hold three multiplication tables.)
• Write the corresponding multiplication facts on the index cards.

• Organize students into groups of four. Give one student the index card with the multiplication facts. Two students each get a flyswatter. Give the fourth person paper and a pencil.
• Have the student with the index card say a fact. The two students with flyswatters each try to swat the product first. The first student to swat the product gets a point. The fourth student records the score.
• The first student to get 12 points wins and becomes the caller. The other three students then swap roles, and the game continues until everyone has had a turn swatting.

Assessment

This lesson is assessed as it is played, both through teacher observation and by the scoring system provided within the game.

Lesson Plan Source

N/A

Submitted By

Lindy Hopkins ( [email protected]), Saltillo Elementary School, Saltillo, Mississippi

As our highlighted lesson, the submitter was awarded a $50 honorarium. See our guidelines to submit yours!