Math Standards Say Draw...Then Let's Use Google Drawings

In third grade students begin to learn the concept of multiplication and division - including a variety of strategies that show how to solve a word problem.  Our standards state that they should be able to represent equations using arrays and equal groups through drawings.

Hhhmmm...Drawings??

So, this year I introduced students to Google Drawings through a lesson where they created images of an assigned multiplication sentence.  During this mini lesson students used a resource I found on TPT: Multiplication Give Me 5 - FREE Poster and Worksheet to design their image on first (we work on the skill of transferring).  

In the past, the final product would be on index cards and together we would put together an over-sized multiplication chart.  This time I thought I would try something different…

The first multiplication strategy that I modeled/guided was ‘Arrays’ - I thought this was simple enough to begin teaching the use of the toolbar and alignment (those cool red lines and cross hairs).  But of course there was a teacher fail...some students had equations that required MANY icons.

*note to teacher self for next year: keep equations small*

I began this mini lesson right before the Spring CUE conference.  When I returned, the next step was to develop their Google Drawing for equal groups.  This task was much easier to accomplish since they were now familiar and comfortable with this platform.  However, there was that *teacher fail* I mentioned…

At Spring CUE, I learned in Matt Miller’s session: Educational Eye Candy, a hack that I had to take back immediately - on that Monday I showed my students how to use “Control D” to duplicate icons.  Their minds were blown and their vocabulary enhanced!