I want to share my latest classroom
tool. When I found dry erase tape, I instantly knew how I could use it in my
classroom. For years, I have used t-charts, simple in/out tables, to help them skip count
while solving multiplication and division problems.
Set-up: I cut two 10 inch strips of
dry erase tape, and then placed them parallel to each other on each student
desk. I left a gap about a half a centimeter wide between each strip of tape. I
place a third piece of tape perpendicular to the other two, also with a small
gap. Using a Sharpie, I drew a “T” in the gap between the pieces of tape.
Having dry erase t-charts available
on the student desks, will make it easy and quick to use. These charts help
students build multiplication fluency. I encourage my students to begin with a
combination they know and skip count from there. For example, a student trying
to solve 8x8 may begin with 8x5=40, and then skip count on the t-chart to 8x8.
