The Best of Times

Author: Greg Tang

Publisher/Date: Scholastic Press, 2002

ISBN: 0-439-210445

Grade Levels Recommended for Use: 6-8

Brief Summary: This book begins with multiplication of numbers from zero and increases to the number 10. It gives simple hints in narrative animal styles, so that students can remember them. It also has simple rhymes that offer hints on how to multiply any number by zero through ten without memorizing the multiplication tables.

Topics: multiplication facts, number sense

Suggested Activities:

Have the students use monopoly money and increase their total with every multiplication factor from (0-10). Explain to students that smaller numbers are the key to multiplying larger ones. For example, if you can multiply by two, you can multiply by four and even eight. Ask students the challenging questions that are in this book . There are challenging questions on every page.