Factor puzzles
This is a level 4 number activity from the Figure It Out series. It is focused on using multiplication facts to solve puzzles.
About this resource
Figure It Out is a series of 80 books published between 1999 and 2009 to support teaching and learning in New Zealand classrooms.
This resource provides the teachers’ notes and answers for one activity from the Figure It Out series. A printable PDF of the student activity can be downloaded from the materials that come with this resource.
Specific learning outcomes:
- Use multiplication facts to solve puzzles.
Factor puzzles
Achievement objectives
NA4-1: Use a range of multiplicative strategies when operating on whole numbers.
Required materials
- Figure It Out, Level 3, Basic Facts, "Factor puzzles", page 11
- counters (a different colour for each player)
- 2 dice marked 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
- classmate
See Materials that come with this resource to download:
- Factor puzzles activity (.pdf)
Activity
In this activity, students find the factors for given products and identify the common factors in order to solve the puzzle.
Students will need to be very familiar with basic multiplication facts to do this activity. They could identify factors for each product and then use trial and improvement as a strategy to solve the problem. Questions 1b and 1c include numbers with more than one common factor, so students will have to use problem-solving strategies to identify the required common factor.
Examples of polygons that students could use for question 2 are squares, pentagons, and hexagons.
(b and c have one missing product.)
Students could vary their puzzles so that there are several missing factors and products, for example:
Game
This is a relatively quick game that gives students practice in finding products. Some of the products are repeated so that students can use strategies to increase their chances of winning. Playing this game several times gives students the chance to explore different strategies.
1.
2.
Answers will vary.
Game
A game of multiplication.
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