This week in Maths, Year 2 have been very busy learning to multiply by 5, following learning how to multiply by 2s and 10s.
The children have been excited to learn the mathematical terms ‘factor’ and ‘product’ and to know that multiplication is ‘commutative’ which means you can multiply the factors in any order and you get the same product. The children in Bears and Giraffes are very proud to be able to talk like a mathematician!
The children have been counting in 5s forwards as well as backwards, looking at equal groups of 5 (arrays) and filling in missing numbers for equations and solving word problems involving the multiplication of 5.
Alongside multiplication we have been learning about time. The children enjoyed making a ‘human clock’, with children holding numbers 1-12 and moving around it in a clockwise direction. They used their recent learning on halving and fractions to work out that 30 minutes is half an hour. The children then used their little clocks to make o’clock and half past times, ensuring that the hour and minute hands were in the correct position, checking in with their partner as they did.
They were then able to record half past times with confidence. Well done! It is quarter past and quarter to next!
How you can help at home:
- Practice counting in 5s- tapping knees as you count.
- Make arrays of 5 objects ie pencils, pasta shapes and marbles and count them (we often ask the children, “What do you see? What do you notice?” which really helps them explain their thinking)
- Encourage your child to tell the time using o’clock, half past (then quarter past and quarter to)
- Ask your child to draw a clock of their favourite time, showing the correct position of the hands and the correct length.