Primary 3 Maths — Two-Digit by One-Digit Multiplication: a Tutor Lesson-Prep Guide (splitting, carrying, checking)

2026-11-10

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary maths

A pupil works 34 times 6 and writes 184. He did not multiply wrongly; he forgot to add the carried 2. This lesson fixes an order of actions, not the times table.

Objectives — By the end the pupil can: (1) split 34 times 6 into 30 times 6 and 4 times 6, saying the parts are 180 and 24, giving 204; (2) use the column method from the ones digit, writing the carried 2 above the tens and adding it before the next multiplication; (3) check 204 divided by 6 gives 34, and finish a word problem with a unit and a sentence.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Times tables 2 to 9	7 times 8	56
Multiplying by ten	30 times 6	180
Addition with carrying	48 plus 7	55

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Error diagnosis	Write 34 times 6 and watch whether the pupil adds the carry	Works it out and explains each step
5-12 min	Splitting	Split 34 into 30 and 4, multiply each by 6 and add	Writes 180 plus 24 equals 204
12-22 min	Three-act teaching	Deliver the scripts on splitting, carrying and checking, pausing after each act	Repeats: multiply ones, write the carry, add it next
22-32 min	Worked examples	Model one no-carry, one single-carry, one double-carry and one word problem	Copies one and circles the carry
32-40 min	Independent practice	Hand out three questions and require a division check each time	Works alone and writes the check
40-45 min	Exit check	Collect the work and note whether the error is in multiplying or carrying	Names the step he got wrong

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Splitting: a two-digit number is some tens plus some ones

Do not start with the column method. Ask first: how many tens are in 34? Three tens, so 30, plus 4. Now 30 times 6 is 180, because 3 times 6 is 18 and we add a zero. Then 4 times 6 is 24. 180 plus 24 is 204. The point of splitting is not speed; it is so the pupil sees the two rows of the column method being born.

34 is 30 plus 4, so multiply each part and add.

Scene 2: Carrying: ones first, carry above, add it before the next step

Column method for 34 times 6. Start at the ones: 4 times 6 is 24, write 4 and carry 2, and that 2 goes above the tens column. Then 3 times 6 is 18, plus the carried 2 makes 20, so write 20. The answer is 204. The usual failure is stopping at 18 and writing 184. Make the pupil point at the carry after every line and ask: have you added it?

Ones first, carry above, add it before the next step.

Scene 3: Checking: divide the answer back

204 divided by 6 should give 34. The check is not decoration; it is the only way a pupil discovers that 184 is wrong by himself. 184 divided by 6 gives 30 remainder 4, clearly not 34. In a word problem such as six items in a box and thirty-four boxes, the answer must read 204 items, with both the unit and the sentence.

A check means dividing the answer back to the number you started with.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
No carry	21 times 3	Ones: 1 times 3 is 3. Tens: 2 times 3 is 6	63
One carry	34 times 6	4 times 6 is 24, write 4 carry 2; 3 times 6 is 18 plus 2 is 20	204
Two carries	78 times 4	8 times 4 is 32, write 2 carry 3; 7 times 4 is 28 plus 3 is 31	312
Word problem	Seven items per box, forty-five boxes	45 times 7: 5 times 7 is 35, carry 3; 4 times 7 is 28 plus 3 is 31	315 items

Sanity check (teach this): Sense check: 34 times 6 must lie between 30 times 6, which is 180, and 40 times 6, which is 240, so both 204 and 184 fall inside and estimation cannot catch the missing carry. Only the division check can: 204 divided by 6 is exactly 34, while 184 divided by 6 leaves remainder 4. Likewise 312 divided by 4 is 78 and 315 divided by 7 is 45.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
One carry	26 times 8	6 times 8 is 48, write 8 carry 4; 2 times 8 is 16 plus 4 is 20, so 208
Two carries	78 times 4	8 times 4 is 32, carry 3; 7 times 4 is 28 plus 3 is 31, so 312
Check	204 divided by 6	34, which matches 34 times 6
Word problem	Eight cards per row, twenty-six rows	208 cards, from 26 times 8

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Forgetting the carry	Writes 184 for 34 times 6	Your multiplication is right, but the carried 2 is not added. Point at it and add it to the 18.
Carry in the wrong column	Puts the 3 from 78 times 4 in the ones column	The carry belongs one place to the left, above the tens, or you will add it to the wrong column.
Checking by repeating the sum	Multiplies 34 by 6 again as a check	A check divides back: 204 divided by 6 gives 34, and that proves it.
No unit in a word problem	Writes just 204	204 items. A number alone does not say what you counted.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 3 multiplication practice — Section B, questions 1 to 5
Primary 3 multiplication word problems — Section C, questions 1 and 2
Primary maths chapter index — All chapters in one table

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
34 times 6	204	184 means the carry was dropped; reteach act two
78 times 4	312	282 means the carry sat in the wrong column; redo and circle it
208 divided by 8	26	Failure means division is not secure; revisit tables and division

09 Tutor FAQ

Must the pupil always split first?

In the first lesson, yes. Splitting explains where the two rows come from. It can be dropped later, but the pupil should still say 30 times 6 and 4 times 6 out loud.

Where should the carry be written?

Always above the digit in the next column. One fixed place stops pupils adding it to the wrong row.

What does estimating catch?

Only size. Both 184 and 204 sit between 180 and 240, so estimation misses a dropped carry; the division check is the real test.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.