Multiplication Number Talk - Unpacking Doubling and Halving | Commutative Associative Properties

Number Talks have become commonplace in many elementary math classrooms across North America to help students build their number sense and overall number fluency. This is amazing news! However, the reality is that while using number talks in the classroom can be helpful, I have witnessed on a number of occasions where students learn to apply strategies without fully understanding why they work. 

In this particular series of visual prompts, I'm attempting to build in a Jo Boaler-style visual number talk for multiplication to unpack, through investigation, the halving and doubling strategy. This is a great way to lower the floor on this task and ensure that all students in your classroom have an entry point. 

Keep an eye out for number properties as we will be unpacking those near the end. The silent solution video is much longer than usual because I attempt to fully unpack how the halving and doubling strategy works using number properties. 

Let's dive in!