Grade
4

Guess My Rule: Multiplication Mindfulness

A Venn diagram with a red and blue circle. The red circle has the expressions 100 times 5, 52 times 10, 10 times 53, 51 times 10. The blue circle has the expressions 15 times 10, 10 times 25, 5 times 10, 52 times 1, 10 times 35. The overlapping portion has the expressions 550 times 1, 1 times 552.
  1. What is the rule to be in the red circle? What is the rule to be in the blue circle? What is the rule to be in both circles?
  2. Can you write an expression that would go inside the intersection of the circles? How do you know?
  3. Write another expression that belongs in only the red circle.
  4. Write another expression that belongs in only the blue circle.
  5. Where would you place the expression 111 × 5? Why?

What do you notice about the expressions in each circle?

What do their products have in common?

Notice the digits in each place. What digit is in the ones place, the tens place, and the hundreds place?

Make your own rule using numbers. You can use the circles below or draw your own.

If possible, show some examples that belong inside each circle and some examples that don’t belong in either circle.

A worksheet for filling in your own Venn diagram, with red and blue overlapping circles. Text above the red circle reads, the rule for the read circle is: blank. The text above the blue circle reads The rule for the blue circle is: blank.
Printable Version

Google doc for printing and copying

Reference for Educators

Sample problems and solutions