L4 Multiply 3 Numbers Together

This engaging Year 4 Maths lesson focuses on developing mental strategies for multiplying three numbers together, building on prior learning in multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction from Year 4 and Year 3 summer term. The lesson begins with a recap of mental strategies for multiplying two numbers, including times-tables, doubling, and partitioning, to help children make calculations more manageable. Students are then introduced to multiplying three numbers mentally. Through examples like 10 × 9 × 12, children explore different approaches, including reordering numbers using the commutative property, making multiples of 10, 100, or 1,000, and applying place value knowledge. The lesson emphasizes understanding the strategy behind the calculation, not just finding the answer. The main activity provides hands-on practice: children select calculations from a prepared resource sheet, glue them into their books, calculate the answers, and write a sentence explaining the strategy they used. At least six examples are completed to consolidate learning. The plenary addresses common misconceptions and reasoning skills through a discussion of multiplying by zero, highlighting that any calculation involving 0 results in 0 regardless of other numbers. Key misconceptions addressed include misunderstanding the order of multiplication, errors with place value, and accidentally adding instead of multiplying. This lesson is ideal for primary educators seeking a structured, interactive approach to teaching mental multiplication of multiple numbers. It builds students’ confidence with larger numbers, strengthens arithmetic fluency, and encourages them to think strategically about problem-solving.