• Observe and assess students during the activity and partner work.
• Student math journals or Equal Groups books (M-2-4-2_Equal Groups Book.docx) can be used as formative assessments.

Show the class the Hula-Hoops (or string circles). Tell students that you will be using them to solve “equal groups” problems. Take out the two different colored number cubes. “The red number cube will represent how many groups we will have, and the green number cube will represent how many are in each group.” Roll the red number cube first. Have a student the corresponding number of Hula-Hoops in a row. “I rolled a 4, so we will place 4 Hula-Hoops.” Then roll the green number cube, “I rolled a 5, so we will need five students in each hoop.” Choose 5 students for each hoop. Then ask, “How many students are there all together in the hoops? How do you know?” Allow time for students to respond. Have students sit back down. On the board or chart paper, draw what they have modeled. Draw 4 circles, and then draw 5 smiley faces in each hoop. Show students using number and word form the corresponding number sentence:

4 groups of 5 students is the same amount as 20 students, so 4 × 5 = 20

-or-

4 groups of 5 students is the same as 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20, so 4 × 5 = 20

Repeat the process by rolling (or having a student roll) each number cube and placing the corresponding number of hoops and students in each hoop. Again represent the number sentence using pictures, words, and numerals. Continue until most students seem to understand each step.

Show students the paper plates, chips, and number cubes they will be using. Demonstrate that they will be doing the same process the class did, but they will use plates and chips instead of people and hoops. Students can record their thinking in math notebooks, on whiteboards, or in the Equal Groups Book (M-2-4-2_Equal Groups Book.docx). [Note: It may be helpful for number cubes, chips, and paper plates to be the same color.]

Have students do the activity several times. Observe students to see what strategies they use, such as skip counting or repeated addition. Also listen for students who are beginning to understand the Commutative Property of Multiplication (a × b = c and b × a = c).

Once you feel they have a good grasp of the concepts, call the class together and summarize the lesson. Use questions such as:

• “What was something that was simple for you?”
• “What was something that was hard for you?” 
• “What did you notice?”
• “Were there any patterns you saw?”
• “If you didn’t have plates and chips, how could you solve the problems?”

Extension:

Use the following activities in your classroom to meet the needs of your students throughout the year.

• Routine: Have students help solve class grouping problems as needed. “We have 7 groups of 2 students, so how many students are here today?” For a challenge, you can have them help you find the equal groups. “We have 20 students here today. How many groups of 4 can we make?”
• Work Station or Small Group: Watch for students who are counting by 1s to solve equal-group problems. These students may need number lines for extra support to encourage skip or even stress counting. They may also use number cubes with only 0–5 or even number cubes with only 2, 3, 5 on them. This will limit the number of groups they need to become automatic with in the beginning.
• Expansion: Students who are ready for a greater challenge can work with one deca-number cube (0–9). They may also need to draw pictures or record their work to solve problems.