Use Leaves to Model Multiplication

Who would have thought that plants potentially provide simple learning resources for mathematicians? Without any backbreaking preparation, we (teachers and educators) can utilize it into interesting learning resources for our students.

Therefore, in this article, I would share the use of “leaves” to model multiplication for primary students.

Figure 1

Several ways to count the number of leaves (see figure 1) are explained as follows:

1. Count the number of leaves one by one and we can express it into 1 x 80 = 80
2. Break the steam into two distinct sides (left and right side) and we have the number of leaves for each side is equal to 40. As consequence, it can be expressed into 2 x 40 = 80.
3. Separate the steam into eight different parts in which each part consist of 10 leaves. Therefore, the total number of the leaves is equal to 8 x 10 = 80.

Reference: PMRI Magazine Vol. VI No 4, October 2008