Using Picture Books to Teach Math {Multiplication}

I love using picture books during math!  Today’s featured book is Each Orange Had 8 Slices by Paul Giganti, Jr. 
 



I use this book in the fall every year as we begin learning multiplication.  Each page has a story problem that students can solve using repeated addition and multiplication.  I created this fun little problem solving journal as a companion to the book.  There is a page in the journal for each page of the picture book. 





In the past, we have used notebook paper or our math journals, but I love this little journal because it doesn’t take up as much space if I want to collect them after a day’s work to look them over.  I also love that I can send them home when we are finished with the book ( I don’t send math journals home until the end of the year) and it can be a great conversation starter at home for parents to ask what students are learning about multiplication!





As we begin learning about repeated addition and multiplication, I have included some number sentence frames to help students write them correctly.  This scaffolding really helps those students that are still struggling with the concept.





Something else that I really love about this book and the journal is that I am able to differentiate.  I teach the gifted cluster in my grade level so I have general ed. students, as well as the students who are identified as gifted in my grade level.  Many of the quantitatively gifted students already know how repeated addition and multiplication work.  Each story problem in the book also includes a challenging question that uses multi-steps or multiplication with 3 factors!  I challenge the students who are ready for it to solve for that last question in each page of their journal. 


The book includes 11 story problems and we certainly do not work through them all in one day, in fact last year we only did one a day in our journals as a warm up.  We did the first one together whole group so I could help guide them and model for them.  The next day, I projected the next page from the book under my document camera and students did it independently or with a partner.  Day 3, we once again worked whole group so I could model and guide them through explaining their thinking in their journal.  Day 4, they worked independently to solve the problem that I projected and then I gave them time to discuss their journal page with their table groups. 


I love the versatility of this little journal too.  You can use it like I did last year as a math warm up each day.  You could put the book or multiple copies of the book and use it as a math center….the possibilities are numerous! 


Have you used Each Orange Had 8 Slices in your classroom?  Comment below and let us know how you use it! 


Check back here at The Blessed Teacher to read about other picture books I use to teach math!