Same Math › Grades 2–3 › Equal groups
What are equal groups in math?
Equal groups are sets with the same number in each, like 3 bags with 4 apples each. Kids learn that 3 × 4 means 3 groups of 4, which is where multiplication starts.
- 3 groups, each with the same number.
- 4 in each group.
- 3 × 4 = 12: 3 groups of 4
Why schools teach it
It's what multiplication means
Third graders interpret 5 × 7 as the total in 5 groups of 7 (3.OA.A.1) and solve word problems with equal groups (3.OA.A.3). Before memorizing facts, kids need to know what the numbers stand for.
Equal groups lead naturally into arrays (groups lined up in rows) and into division, which asks how many groups, or how many in each.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
How many groups are there?
How many in each group?
Are all the groups the same size?
If not, it isn't multiplication.Can you tell me a story for 4 × 5?
4 packs of 5 pencils. Stories make it stick.
Skip this
- Mixing up the two numbers.3 × 4 is usually 3 groups of 4 in class. The total is the same either way, but the meaning differs.
- Using groups of different sizes.Equal groups must all match.
- Jumping straight to memorizing.Understanding groups first makes facts easier to remember.
See it in action
Solving a word problem with equal groups
There are 4 tables with 6 kids at each table. How many kids?
Draw 4 circles for the tables
Put 6 in each circle
4 groups of 6Find the total
4 × 6 = 24
Kids can add 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 or skip count by 6s. Both are correct ways to find it.
Free practice sheet
Make an equal groups sheet
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Parents also ask
Is 3 × 4 three groups of four or four groups of three?
Most US classes read 3 × 4 as 3 groups of 4. Both give 12, which kids discover later as the commutative property.
How is this different from arrays?
An array lines the groups up in rows. Equal groups can be in circles, bags or piles.
How does this help with division?
12 ÷ 3 asks either how many in each of 3 groups, or how many groups of 3.
What comes after equal groups?
Arrays, then the times tables, then multi-digit multiplication.