Arrays

When we begin talking about arrays, we start by defining what they are. Arrays are not new to our 4th graders, so they are quick to tell us an array is a group of objects with equal rows and columns. We discuss counting arrays, and how we don't need to count each individual item. We can simply find the number of rows and the number of columns, then multiply them together. This works because we're talking about combining equal groups, which is multiplication.

After this discussion, the kids spend some time finding different arrays around our room. We talk about the dimensions of the arrays found, as well as how many items are in the arrays. This is added to our journal.