From: Ralph (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Feb 04, 2008 at 09:36:53
Subject: Re: Multiplication and fractions in gr 2

Hi Pam,

Thank you for writing to T2T. There really isn't a prescriptive sequence
regarding what should be taught before what. Some programs teach all of
addition before beginning any work with subtraction; others develop addition
and subtraction together as "related ideas" (subtraction "undoing" what
addition does), etc.

My own personal preference regarding the two concepts you mentioned would
be to do multiplication first. Generally the students will have been
working with addition, and so seeing multiplication as repeated addition
helps students conceptualize what's happening in multiplication.

Probably more important is WHAT fraction ideas would you teach at this
grade level. I think that at grade 2, being able to identify a fraction
as part of a whole, recognizing that fractions as parts of a whole require
equal size pieces, and making simple fraction comparisons (e.g. 3/8 is more
than 1/8) is sufficient. There is a LOT that can be done with fraction
readiness at this level, and it disturbs me when I see programs moving to
fraction computation at Gr. 2.

Hope this helps,

 -Ralph, for the T2T service

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