CritterCountSE

Name: Date:
Student Exploration: Critter Count
Vocabulary: array, commutative property, factor, multiple, multiplication, product
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Suppose you are at a very large party and need to know how many people are there. Why
might counting the guests be difficult? __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. You notice that the party guests are sitting six to a table. How would you figure out how
many guests there are? ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Gizmo Warm-up
When you see a multiplication expression, like 2 × 3,
what does it mean? The Critter Count Gizmo shows
what is actually happening when you multiply two
numbers.
1. Check that the multiplication expression shown on the Gizmo is 2 × 3. If not, use the up and
down arrows ( ) to change the expression to 2 × 3.
How many leaves are there?_2______ How many ladybugs are on each leaf?
6_______
2. Change the first number in the expression (the 2) by clicking the up and down arrows.
What changes? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Change the second number in the expression (the 3) by clicking the up and down arrows.
What changes? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2019
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
 Check that Show multiplication is selected.
Counting party
 Set the expression to 7 × 6.
guests
 Check that Group is selected.
The ladybugs are gathering for their annual picnic. They settle down on seven leaves, with six
ladybugs on each leaf.
1. Numbers that are multiplied together are called factors.

What are the factors in the expression shown in the Gizmo? _______ and _______
2. The result (answer) of multiplication is called the product. Click Count and watch.
A. What is the product of 7 and 6? _______
B. What does the product tell you about the ladybugs? __________________________
C. Based on what you see in the Count box, how does 7 × 6 relate to addition?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. When you add 6 to itself many times, the numbers you get are multiples of 6. For example,
6 + 6 = 12, so 12 is a multiple of 6. What are the first nine multiples of 6?
1 × 6 = _____ 2 × 6 = _____ 3 × 6 = _____ 4 × 6 = _____ 5 × 6 = _____
6 × 6 = _____ 7 × 6 = _____ 8 × 6 = _____ 9 × 6 = _____
4. Write the multiplication problem and answer for each item below. The first has been done for
you. Check your answers to B – D with the Gizmo. Use units on your answer if you can.
A. Five leaves, two butterflies on each leaf. 5 × 2 = 10 butterflies

_______________________
B. Six webs, three spiders on each web. _______________________
C. 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 _______________________
D. 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 _______________________
Challenge:
E. Sally sold 3 boxes of eggs. Each box holds 12 eggs. _______________________
F. At the ladybug picnic, there are 5 leaves. Each

leaf has 4 ladybugs. Each ladybug eats 2 aphids. _______________________
2019
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
 Set the expression to 3 × 7.
Crashing the party
 Select Inchworms.
Here come the inchworms! Hungry inchworms descend on the ladybugs’ picnic. The inchworms
scare away the ladybugs and eat up all the leaves.
1. Select Array and watch the leaves disappear. (The inchworms ate them all!) The inchworms
are now shown in a rectangular display called an array. This is another way to model 3 × 7.
A. How many horizontal rows are in the array? _______
B. How many vertical columns are in the array? _______
C. How does the array model relate to the “group” model with the critters on leaves?
Rows are ______________________ Columns are _________________________
D. Click Count. What is the product of 3 and 7? _______
2. Now change the expression to 7 × 3.
A. How many horizontal rows are in this array? _______
B. How many vertical columns are in this array? _______
C. Click Count. What is the product of 7 and 3? _______
3. The commutative property says that the order of numbers doesn’t matter – the answer will
be the same. Use the Gizmo to test the commutative property for multiplying. (For example,
compare 6 × 4 and 4 × 6.)
A. What numbers did you test? ____________________________________________
B. What did you find? ____________________________________________________
C. Does the commutative property seem to work for multiplying? __________________
4. Challenge: Explain why the commutative property works for multiplication. (Hint: Arrays are
rectangular. Think about the size of a 3-by-7 rectangle compared to a 7-by-3 rectangle.)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2019

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Name: Date:

Student Exploration: Critter Count

Vocabulary: array, commutative property, factor, multiple, multiplication, product

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

might counting the guests be difficult? __________________________________________

many guests there are? ______________________________________________________

What changes? ____________________________________________________________

What changes? ____________________________________________________________

1. Numbers that are multiplied together are called factors.

A. What is the product of 7 and 6? _______

1 × 6 = _____ 2 × 6 = _____ 3 × 6 = _____ 4 × 6 = _____ 5 × 6 = _____

6 × 6 = _____ 7 × 6 = _____ 8 × 6 = _____ 9 × 6 = _____

A. Five leaves, two butterflies on each leaf. 5 × 2 = 10 butterflies

B. Six webs, three spiders on each web. _______________________

E. Sally sold 3 boxes of eggs. Each box holds 12 eggs. _______________________

F. At the ladybug picnic, there are 5 leaves. Each

A. How many horizontal rows are in the array? _______

B. How many vertical columns are in the array? _______

Rows are ______________________ Columns are _________________________

D. Click Count. What is the product of 3 and 7? _______

2. Now change the expression to 7 × 3.

A. How many horizontal rows are in this array? _______

B. How many vertical columns are in this array? _______

C. Click Count. What is the product of 7 and 3? _______

A. What numbers did you test? ____________________________________________

B. What did you find? ____________________________________________________

C. Does the commutative property seem to work for multiplying? __________________

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1 × 6 = ___ 2 × 6 = _ 3 × 6 = _ 4 × 6 = _ 5 × 6 = ___

6 × 6 = ___ 7 × 6 = _ 8 × 6 = _ 9 × 6 = ___

Rows are Columns are ___