Build Arrays

Build Arrays

What students learn

Students learn that arrays arrange equal groups into rows and columns. Begin with Arrays: Build Rows and Columns from Equal Groups so the picture starts to look organized right away.

Why it matters

Arrays help students see the same equal groups in a clearer picture. That visual structure makes it easier to count, compare, and later understand multiplication facts. Arrays: Count Across Each Row shows how one row leads to a total.

Learn the idea

In an array, rows go across and columns go up and down. If a student can read the rows, they can also write the repeated addition sentence behind the picture. Arrays: Turn the Picture into Repeated Addition helps connect the array to the same equal-group idea from the first lesson.

Try it

Draw a 2-by-4 array, a 3-by-3 array, and a 4-by-2 array. Ask the student to count the objects in each row, tell how many rows there are, and write the repeated addition sentence that matches.

Parent guide

Use counters, stickers, or quick sketches. Have the child build one row first, then copy it to make the array. If the rows are uneven, ask them to fix the picture before they count.