Multiplication and Division Facts to 100
Grade 5 targets recall of 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 10s facts. The remaining facts (6s, 7s, 8s, 9s) are built through strategies: doubling (8x6 = double 4x6 = double 24 = 48), near-squares (9x8 = 9x9-9 = 81-9 = 72), and using known facts (7x8 = 7x7+7 = 49+7 = 56). Annexing zeros extends single-digit facts to any power of 10: 6x3=18, so 6x30=180, 6x300=1800. This generalization is the bridge between facts and multi-digit computation.
Annex zeros for mental multiplication
6 x 3 = 18. Therefore: 6 x 30 = 180 (annex one zero). 6 x 300 = 1,800 (annex two zeros). 60 x 30 = 1,800 (both have one zero: annex two zeros total). This strategy lets students multiply any multiple of a power of 10 by using a known single-digit fact. It requires understanding WHY the zeros annex: the place value shifts the product up by a power of 10.
Strategies for the hard facts
The hard facts (6x7, 6x8, 7x7, 7x8, 8x8) yield to strategies. 7x8: think 7x7=49, then add 7 = 56. Or think 8x8=64, subtract 8 = 56. 8x6: double 4x6=24, get 48. 9x7: think 10x7=70, subtract 7=63. Every hard fact is close to an easy fact. The strategies themselves are worth memorizing as procedures.
Games and authentic practice
The BC curriculum emphasizes games for fact fluency. Card games, dice games, and digital games that require rapid fact retrieval build the associative connections needed for automatic recall. Authentic contexts (arrays, equal-groups problems, measurement conversions) provide varied exposures that reinforce facts through meaning, not drill.