Mathematics
Intermediate
50 mins
Teacher/Student led
Learning Goals
Learning Outcomes
Lesson Files
+90 XP
What you need:
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Multiplying a Multi-digit Number by a Single Digit

Learn to multiply multi-digit numbers by a single digit using the area model to find partial products, then link those boxes to the column method.

Teacher Class Feed

Load previous activity

    1 - Getting Started ~4 mins

    Illustration for Getting StartedHere is a rectangle that is 23 squares long and 4 squares tall. Hands up: roughly how many little squares do you think fill it? Have a guess before we work it out. If we split the long side into 20 and 3, does that give us a friendlier way to count than one square at a time?

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +5 XP

    2 - Watch and Notice ~10 mins

    The interactive splits each rectangle into boxes and shows the column method beside it. Watch where the number breaks apart, and see if the boxes and the column land on the same answer.

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +10 XP

    3 - Try It Together ~7 mins

    Worked example

    Today we work through two products together on the board. First 138 × 6: we split 138 into 100, 30 and 8, so we get three boxes. Find each box: 100 × 6, then 30 × 6, then 8 × 6. Add the three partial products to reach the whole answer. Then we do a second one, 216 × 4, the same way. Call out each box answer before we drop it in.

    138 × 6 together

    +15 XP

    4 - Sketch the Boxes in Your Copy ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, sketch the area-model rectangle for each example. Write the partial products inside each box, then total them at the bottom. Check your total against the column shorthand.

    +10 XP

    5 - The Four-digit Column Case ~6 mins

    1,084 × 9

    Worked example

    Big numbers make a lot of boxes, so once we trust them we switch to the column shorthand (shown on the right) to keep things tidy. Working right to left: 4 × 9 = 36, write 6 and carry 3; 8 tens × 9 = 72, plus the carried 3 makes 75, write 5 and carry 7; 0 hundreds × 9 = 0, plus the carried 7 makes 7; 1 thousand × 9 = 9. The answer is 9,756.

    Key point

    The zero in the hundreds column still needs working: nothing times nine is nothing, then add the carried seven. On screen the hundreds box has a side of 0, so its area is 0 — a zero box holds the place but adds nothing. You will meet a zero box again in the next challenge.

    +10 XP
    Pupil practice
    Module 2 · Operations and Computational Fluency Number
    Lesson 25 · Multiplying a Multi-digit Number by a Single Digit
    Download Activity Book page (PDF)
    123learn · Online learning platform

    Unlock the full learning experience

    You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.

    Hundreds of curriculum-aligned lessons
    Interactive activities in every lesson
    Printable resources & progress tracking
    Get started
    Copyright Notice
    This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.
    🍪 Our website uses cookies to make your browsing experience better. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more