Knowing the Times Tables
A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on fluency to 10 × 10, which starts by showing pupils how few facts are actually left once the easy ones and the turnarounds are taken out.
Knowing the Times Tables is a free 45-minute Grade 3 maths lesson plan for Common Core standard 3.OA.C.7 — know the times tables to 10 × 10 by heart. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3
- Length:
- 45 minutes
- Standard:
- 3.OA.C.7
Grade 3 · Operations & Algebraic Thinking
3.OA.C.7
Fluently multiply and divide within 100. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.
Objective
Students will be able to recall products of two one-digit numbers and the related division facts from memory.
Students are successful when they can
- Answers any fact to 10 × 10 within about three seconds.
- Identifies which facts they do not yet know.
- Derives an unknown fact from a known one rather than counting.
What you need
- A blank 10 by 10 multiplication grid per pupil
- Coloured pencils
- Fact cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — fill what you know
6 min- Give each pupil a blank grid and three minutes to fill in only the facts they know instantly.
- No counting, no working out. Blanks are the point of the exercise.
Teach — how few are left
13 min- Shade the 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s rows and columns in one colour. Most grids are now mostly coloured.
- Shade the diagonal — the squares — in a second colour. Doubles are usually known.
- Point out the grid is symmetric: everything below the diagonal repeats above it. Half of what is left is a duplicate.
- Count what remains uncoloured. For most pupils it is fewer than ten genuinely unknown facts.
- Take one of them — 7 × 8 — and derive it: 7 × 4 doubled, or 5 × 8 plus 2 × 8.
- Say the plan: learn the short list, derive the rest today, recall them by next month.
“There are a hundred squares on this grid and you already know most of them. Find your own six and work on those, not on the whole table.”
Guided practice — your own list
12 min- Each pupil writes their personal list of unknown facts from the grid.
- Pairs test each other on their own lists only, not on a shared set.
- Every fact answered by derivation is noted, so the next round can check whether it has become recall.
Independent practice
11 min- Students complete a mixed tables page including division facts.
- Time matters as much as accuracy. Note who is still deriving; deriving is the right stage, and it is not the destination.
Close
3 min- Rapid round of ten mixed facts, half of them divisions.
- Ending on divisions makes the point that they are the same facts.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Counts up in a table from the start to reach 7 × 8.
Why: Skip counting is reliable and was how the tables were introduced. It works, so it never gets abandoned without a reason.
Fix: Time it against a derived answer. Doubling 7 × 4 takes one step; counting eight sevens takes eight. The pupil chooses the faster route once they have both.
Confuses 6 × 7 and 6 × 8 consistently.
Why: Adjacent facts with similar products get stored as a blur when learned by repetition without structure.
Fix: Anchor one of them to something derivable — 6 × 8 is double 6 × 4 — so the two have different routes and stop competing.
Knows multiplication facts but not the matching divisions.
Why: The facts have been drilled in one direction only, so they are strings rather than relationships.
Fix: Practise from the fact family triangle, covering a different corner each time. Every fact then gets asked three ways.
If they are not there yet
- Work on one unknown fact per day rather than a page of mixed practice. Fluency is built by narrowing, not by volume.
- Keep the derivation route written next to each hard fact until recall replaces it.
If they finish early
- Extend the grid to 12 by 12 using the distributive split.
- Find all the facts with a product between 40 and 50.
- Explain why the grid is symmetric, using an array.
Exit ticket
Answer quickly: 7 × 6, 8 × 8, 54 ÷ 6, 9 × 7.
What to look for: 42, 64, 9, 63, quickly. Correct but slow means derivation rather than recall — the right stage, and worth noting which facts still need it.
Printable practice for 3.OA.C.7
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Times Tables — Two, Five and TenWork out each answer.
- Times Tables — Three and FourWork out each answer.
Questions about Knowing the Times Tables
How long does the Knowing the Times Tables lesson take?
45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 6 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 11 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Knowing the Times Tables teach?
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.C.7 — 3.OA.C.7, Operations & Algebraic Thinking for Grade 3: “Fluently multiply and divide within 100. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.” In plain terms, know the times tables to 10 × 10 by heart.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A blank 10 by 10 multiplication grid per pupil, coloured pencils, fact cards and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: counts up in a table from the start to reach 7 × 8; confuses 6 × 7 and 6 × 8 consistently and knows multiplication facts but not the matching divisions. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Answer quickly: 7 × 6, 8 × 8, 54 ÷ 6, 9 × 7.” 42, 64, 9, 63, quickly. Correct but slow means derivation rather than recall — the right stage, and worth noting which facts still need it. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Knowing the Times Tables?
Yes — 2 printable 3.OA.C.7 worksheets, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Knowing the Times Tables free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 5 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3.OA.C.7 of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics.