How to use this sheet

  • Have the child estimate first, rounding each factor. It catches a misplaced zero or digit.
  • Start with the area model sheets, then move to the column method, so the partial products make sense.
  • Use squared paper so each digit, and each regrouped digit, has its own square.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the placeholder zero in the second row of a 2-digit by 2-digit problem. The tens digit multiplies by tens.
  • Adding the carried digit before multiplying instead of after. Multiply first, then add what was carried.
  • Multiplying only the matching places, so 23 × 14 is 2 × 1 and 3 × 4, giving 212. Every digit multiplies every digit.

Related worksheets

See all 5th Grade Math