Sign in Subscribe
Grade 3 Math Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 3 Math): Equal Groups & Repeated Addition → Multiplication

Learn multiplication through equal groups, arrays, and number-line jumps—moving from skip-counting and repeated addition to writing equations with unknowns and choosing the best model to solve real-world problems.

Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

• 5 min read
Unit Plan 2 (Grade 3 Math): Equal Groups & Repeated Addition → Multiplication

Focus: Move from skip-counting and repeated addition to the meaning of multiplication in real contexts.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Mathematics (Operations & Algebraic Thinking)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students deepen their understanding of equal groups by connecting skip-counting → repeated addition → early multiplication. They build and label arrays, write equations with unknowns, and model story problems using diagrams and drawings.

Essential Questions

  • What does multiplication mean in terms of equal groups and arrays?
  • How do skip-counting and repeated addition help me solve problems?
  • Which representation (groups, arrays, number line) best fits a given context, and why?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

  1. Build and describe equal groups; represent totals with repeated addition and early multiplication language.
  2. Create and label arrays (rows/columns) that match a story problem.
  3. Write simple equations with an unknown (e.g., 5 groups of 3 = ___) to model problems.
  4. Choose and justify a representation (groups, array, number line) that makes their strategy clear.
  5. Explain their reasoning using precise math vocabulary and check for reasonableness.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3

  • 3.OA.1: Interpret products of whole numbers as equal groups (e.g., 5 groups of 7).
  • 3.OA.3: Use multiplication (and related division later in the year) within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities; represent with equations and a symbol for the unknown.
  • Mathematical Practices: MP.2 (reason abstractly and quantitatively), MP.4 (model with mathematics) threaded throughout.

Success Criteria — Student Language

  • I can show equal groups and write repeated addition that matches.
  • I can build an array and label rows and columns correctly.
  • I can write an equation with an unknown to represent a story problem.
  • I can explain why my model fits the problem and check that my answer is reasonable.