Welcome: Bring movement and mathematical thinking together as you teach multiplication by three. This course is designed for individual instruction, small groups, intervention, and classroom practice. Across seven lessons, you will watch six short demonstrations, rehearse the activities, and use students’ responses to plan what comes next. The final written lesson shows how to carry the method into other multiples.
What you’ll learn: Find students’ starting points, guide counting by threes, build and collect equal groups, and connect those groups to equations. You will also use mixed practice, notice progress, and adapt the routine to other group sizes.
How to use the course: Work through the lessons in order. Lessons 1–6 include six videos totaling approximately 15 minutes, and Lesson 7 is a written planning and practice activity. Allow time to read, rehearse, and try the activities with students. Their practice can continue across several sessions, with earlier models revisited as new ideas are introduced. Each lesson offers teaching steps, prompts, points to notice, and a chance to rehearse.
Plan a short practice round: Review a familiar example, model a new one, invite two or three student attempts, and finish with an explanation. Adjust the length and examples to your group. Before starting, show students where to wait and give partners a role while one student uses the mat.
Choose the fact range: The core sequence covers 0 × 3 through 10 × 3, ending at 30. Some demonstrations use the full mat through 36. You can add 11 × 3 = 33 and 12 × 3 = 36 as extensions. Whenever you include them, use them consistently in both assessment and practice.
Prepare the learning space: Lay the mat flat, check that it stays in place, and keep the surrounding area clear. Model the route and have one student move on it at a time. Offer controlled jumps, steps, pointing, or a marker. Each option gives students a way to show and explain the same number relationships.
Gather your materials: Lesson 1 includes an 11-item assessment and answer key to copy onto paper. Lesson 4 offers a recording example, and you can write fact expressions on blank cards. Use the matching course workbook if you have it, or ordinary recording paper. Lesson 6 includes the threes posttest directions. For Lesson 7, choose a correctly numbered mat or tabletop sequence and prepare groups and fact cards that match the new multiples.
Skip Counting by Threes floor mat; 30 craft sticks and 10 rubber bands, or 36 sticks and 12 bands for the optional extension; multiplication-by-3s cards or blank cards; workbook or recording paper; pencils; timer; class roster or notebook for observations; matching pretest and posttest; optional marker, pointer, or basket. For Lesson 7, add a mat or clearly numbered tabletop sequence for the chosen multiples, objects in matching equal groups, and matching cards and assessments.
