Multiplying Integers Lesson: Patterns & Repeated Addition, Grades 6-8

Students often learn "a positive times a negative is negative" as a rule to memorise. This lesson lets them see why before they use it. Warm-up items review adding integers, then students keep a multiplication pattern going past 0 (2 × 2, 2 × 1, 2 × 0, 2 × (−1) ...) and watch each product drop by 2. Next they read 4 × (−3) as four hops of −3 on a number line and 3 × (−5) as equal groups of negative counters, so the product is repeated addition they can draw.

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