Finding Factor Pairs in Year 4

This week, Year 4 children were introduced to finding factor pairs. The aim of the week was to help children develop a clear understanding of what factor pairs are and how they can be found, first through practical exploration and then by using a more systematic method.

The week began with a practical approach. Children used concrete resources such as counters and cubes to represent numbers. They were asked to arrange a given number of objects into equal groups and rows. Through these activities, children were able to see that factor pairs are two numbers that multiply together to make a total. For example, when working with the number 12, children created equal rows to show 1 × 12, 2 × 6 and 3 × 4. This hands-on stage supported children in visualising multiplication and understanding factor pairs as equal groupings.

"I love how the antennas are always 1 and itself. Ot so much easier to go smallest highest to count all those pairs." Elsie, Elm

" I really enjoyed finding all the arrays for each numbers. The pairs made it easy to remember all the factors." Poppy, Maple 

"We had to use the multilink to make towers to find factor pairs of 20"- Dija, Willow

Once children were confident using practical resources, they moved on to recording factor pairs more formally. They were shown how to find factor pairs in a systematic way by starting with 1 and working upwards in order. This approach helped children to ensure that all factor pairs were found without repetition. 

Throughout the week, children were encouraged to explain their thinking and justify their answers.