In this free download, you will find nine reproducible multiplication test/practice sheets. There's one for each of the number families from the 2's through the 9's. There's also a sheet with empty triangles so that you can create your own practice sheets. Download Multiplication Triangle Tests here.
On each sheet there are two sets of 28 problems. The problems are contained in triangles. The product is at the top, the factor of the family being practiced is at the bottom left and the other factor is at the bottom right.
For example:
On the product half of the 4's sheet, the triangle contains a 4 in the left corner and another factor--let's say 6--in the right corner. The product is written by the student.
On the factor half of the paper, the triangle contains a 4 in the left corner and the product--let's say 32--at the top. The student writes the missing factor in the bottom right corner.
What You Do
Have your students fold the paper in half so that the triangles are facing out. Lay the paper on the desk with the product side showing. Give them ninety seconds to complete just the product side. When the time is up, have them circle the problems they didn't get to.
Students then unfold the papers and check their answers. (One nice aspect of these practice/test sheets is that they are self-correcting. Problem #1 on the product side corresponds to problem #1 on the factor side.) They then write their score as a fraction at the top. The number they had correct is the numerator and 28 is the denominator. Collect scores so that you can monitor their progress. Ask them to study the factor side of the sheet for the next day's timed test. As they get better at knowing their facts, slowly reduce the test time until you get to the point where most of them can complete the test in one minute.
Why You Do It
Knowing multiplication facts is a key ingredient to math success. There's no getting around it. Additionally, these sheets lend themselves well to developing number family awareness which is helpful when learning about fractions and division. Seeing the family sets over and over again during practice really helps to lay down a foundation of number relationships. I can't tell you how many times I've been able to use that skill.
Imagine we are all working together on a problem-solving activity and come upon this question:
"There are 24 desks in the classroom. There are 4 desks in each row. How many rows of desks are there in the classroom?"
When I see that a student or two is stuck, I just say, "Picture it. Now, triangle the numbers you're seeing." They get a funny look as they stare off into their own private math/memory land and, within five seconds, come back with the answer. It's pretty amazing.
Test Timers
To help make things more enjoyable for the students and easier to manage for the teacher, I've created some songs you can use to time the test.
There are several versions ranging from one to five minutes. Each timer starts with a trumpet intro called "First to Post." (You'll recognize it when you hear it. It's the song they play at horse races to let you know the start of the race is imminent.)
Although it's only seven seconds long, it's a great way to get your students focused and ready to go and a heck of lot better than the teacher having to say,
"Okay. We're about to start the test. Everyone ready? Come on, now. It's almost test time. Remember you only have 90 seconds. Ready? Okay.....Go!"
Instead, as soon as the last trumpet note has been played, the students begin the test.
For the next thirty seconds they won't hear anything from the song. After that, musical cues will alert them to the time that is left.
Example: Cues in the 90-Second Version
After thirty seconds of silence, they'll hear a chime. The chime indicates that the test is going to end in sixty seconds. Thirty seconds later, they'll hear a claxon. As you can imagine, the claxon signals the final thirty seconds of test time.
When just five seconds remain, they'll hear a series of 5 chimes that descend in tone. (Your students will quickly figure out the chimes mean 5...4...3...2...1...)
The time's up signal is the short, but oh-so-effective funeral dirge from the old PacMan game. When your students hear this, they'll know to put down their pencils, unfold their tests, and correct them using something other than the pencil they used to take the test.
Suggestion: Having students correct their tests with a crayon or pen makes it harder to give in to the temptation to write in an answer during the self-correction process.
Otherwise, have at it and have fun!
Reality: I'm thinking that 5 minutes is probably the limit of effectiveness. Beyond that, you'd want to use a countdown digital timer that the students could see from their seats. And one of the best ones on the market happens to be in our online store here.
