The purpose of this activity is for students to describe an array as an arrangement of objects into rows with an equal number of objects in each row and into columns with an equal number in each column. This will be helpful in the next activity when students arrange objects into arrays and describe arrays in terms of multiplication.

When students decide whether or not they agree with Noah about seeing equal groups in the array and explain their reasoning, they construct a viable argument and critique the reasoning of others (MP3).

• “How are arrays related to equal groups?” (There are the same number of dots in each row, so the rows are equal groups. There are the same number of dots in each column, so the columns are equal groups.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to build arrays with physical objects and describe the arrays in terms of multiplication. Students focus on where equal groups can be seen in arrays. Students will write expressions and equations to represent arrays in future lessons. In the activity, students are asked to create different arrays with 24 cubes. It is not an expectation of grade 3 for students to find all the arrays for a given number.

When students notice that the rows or columns in an array have the same number of objects and relate this to equal groups, they look for and make use of structure (MP7).

Keep connecting cubes out for the Cool-down.

• Have students share different arrays they made for the last problem.
• “Why were you able to create different arrays with 24 objects?” (There are many ways to put 24 things into equal groups.)