House 43 Digest Online

The distributive property of multiplication is a helpful tool to use when solving problems, computing mentally, estimating solutions and checking solutions for accuracy.

Here is an example of how we can use the distributive property to solve a double-digit multiplication equation.

17 x 8 =

The distributive property allows for a mathematician to break the factor 17 apart into two addends and then multiply both those addends by the second factor in the equation.

In this case 17 can break apart in to 10 and 7: 10 + 7= 17

So, we can write: ( 10 x 8 ) + ( 7 x 8 ) =

Both 10 x 8 and 7 x 8 are multiplication facts. We know that 10 x 8 equals 80 and 7 x 8 equals 56.

So, 80 + 56 = 136.

Therefore 17 x 8 = 136.

This week House 43 will begin our second week exploring the attributes of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. The guiding question for this series of investigations is: “How do we define 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes?” Children are experimenting with shapes using geoboards and playing games, which require pairs of children to describe shapes to each other without using the label of the shape. As a class, we are developing a classroom chart to display the attributes of polygons (2-dimensional) and, later in the week, polyhedra (3-dimensional shapes).

Here is an example of House 43’s list of attributes for a rectangle:

- 4-sides

- 2 sets of parallel (sides that have the same distance between them) sides

- 4 corners

- Each set of parallel sides is of different lengths

- the parallel sides are of equal length

- 4 right angles