Lesson 5

Multiples on the Calendar

Est. Class Sessions: 1

Summarizing the Lesson

Incorporate this activity into your daily routine. One way to do this is to start the day by asking students how the date can be displayed using a number sentence with the factor of the month. The factor of the month should tell “how many” in each group for all the days of the month. For example, if 5 is the factor assigned for December, students might write 2 × 5 + 1 = 11 for December 11 because eleven can be organized into 2 groups of 5 with one leftover. At the start of each week you can also record the number sentences for the weekend dates or for any other days of non-attendance. These number sentences can then be recorded on your large calendar for that month. Alternatively, students may complete each day's number sentences independently as part of a morning routine, as a warm-up at the start of the math class, or as a center activity. You can use the large monthly calendar to help students check their progress and discuss patterns.

Describe Patterns in Multiples. As you continue to add to the calendars, patterns will gradually emerge.

Ask some of the following questions from time to time, as appropriate:

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  • Is today's date a multiple of this month's factor? If not, will tomorrow's date be? Was yesterday's date? How do you know? (Possible responses: Yes, if it has no remainder or leftover days or if you will land on it when you skip count by this month's factor.)

If the date is a multiple of this month's factor, ask:

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  • Skip count to today's date. (On the 12th day of the month when 3 is the factor: 3, 6, 9, 12.)

If the date is not a multiple of this month's factor, ask:

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  • Skip count to the closest multiple before today's date, then count up by ones to the date. (Possible responses for different days and months: On the 14th day of the month when 3 is the factor: 3, 6, 9, 12. Then count up 13, 14. On the 19th day when 5 is the factor: 5, 10, 15. Then 16, 17, 18, 19.)
  • Predict the days that will be circled this month. (Possible responses for different days and months: When the number is 2, every other number is circled. When the number is 3, every third number is circled, etc.)
  • What is the difference between a circled number and the next circled number? (The difference is equal to the identified factor. For example, when the factor is 4, then 12 and 16 are circled. The difference between 12 and 16 is 16 – 12 = 4.)
  • What will be the largest remainder this month? (The largest remainder is one less than the identified factor. Each day the remainder goes up by one, but it never goes up to the identified factor—instead, we circle and start the remainder at 0 again.)

Post a copy of each month's calendar as they are completed. Use the discussion prompts displayed in Figure 5 to compare calendars.

Student Guide:
Student Activity Book:
Master:
Discussion prompts to describe patterns in multiples and factors on the calendar
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