Chapter 11 — How Many Times?

It is called 'How Many Times?' and teaches children to add the same number again and again to find a total. This is how Class 1 students begin to understand multiplication as repeated addition.

A group of children visits an amusement park and counts how many children can ride the horse swing, toy train, and big wheel altogether. Each ride seats the same number of children per compartment, so children add that number as many times as there are compartments.

Two children can sit on each horse swing. The chapter shows four horse swings, so children add 2+2+2+2 to find the total.

The toy train has 3 bogies and each bogie seats 3 children. Children write 3+3+3 and learn to say '3 times 3' to find the total number of children in the train.

'Times' means how many groups there are. For example, '6 times 3' means 6 groups of 3, which is the same as adding 3 six times (3+3+3+3+3+3).

Each plate has 3 jalebi pieces and the children order 6 plates. Children add 3 six times and learn that '6 times 3' gives the total number of pieces.

On the bus there are 9 rows with 2 people in each row, giving '9 times 2' as the total number of people. There are also 4 crates of 5 water bottles each, giving '4 times 5' as the total number of bottles.

Cheenu is a character who buys packs of erasers, pencils, and apples. Children count 4 packs of 2 erasers, 5 packs of 3 pencils, and 3 bags of 3 apples, writing each as repeated addition and then as 'times'.

Children draw a cycle wheel and find out how many cycles their friends or family have at home. They then add 2 wheels for each cycle to find the total number of wheels, applying repeated addition to a real object.

The multiplication symbol is not used, but the idea behind it is introduced. Children learn that adding the same number several times can be described as 'so many times' a number, which is the meaning of multiplication.

The chapter suggests teachers ask how many children are in the picture, how many sit in each compartment, and how many children are on the ride altogether. These questions help children think in terms of equal groups.

Every activity — rides at a park, seats on a bus, packs in a shop, cycles at home — uses equal groups found in real situations. This helps children see repeated addition as something that happens around them every day.

Children write and complete number sentences like 2+2+2+2=8, 3+3+3=9, and 4+5+5+5+5=... as well as statements like '9 times 2 =' and '4 times 5 =' to record their answers.

It builds the core idea that equal groups can be counted by adding the same number over and over. This understanding is the foundation for learning multiplication tables in higher classes.