Fourth Grade · Math · week 14

The 2-digit x 2-digit area model

Multiply two 2-digit numbers using an area model with four partial products.

This week both factors get split into tens and ones, which means four smaller rectangles instead of two. Multiply every part of one factor by every part of the other, then add all four partial products.

A 2-by-2 grid, like four boxes in a square, is a good picture for this: one factor split across the top, the other split down the side.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Draw a 2-by-2 grid, like a tic-tac-toe board, with one factor split across the top and the other split down the side.
  • Label all four boxes before multiplying anything, so the plan is visible before the arithmetic starts.
  • Add all four box values at the end; missing even one box changes the total significantly.
  • Point out which box is usually the biggest (the tens-by-tens box) and why that makes sense.
Talk about it:
  • How many partial products does a 2-digit by 2-digit problem need, and why four?
  • How is this like combining two of last week problems?
  • Which box in the grid is usually the biggest, and why?

Mastery looks like: They multiply two 2-digit numbers by splitting both into tens and ones and adding all four partial products.

Common stumbles: Finding only two partial products instead of four by forgetting to cross-multiply both parts; misplacing a partial product value, like writing 30x6 as 18 instead of 180.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

MultiplicationEqual groups and arrays make products finally click.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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