Cluster Problems

Cluster problems are sets of problems that help students think about using what they know to
solve harder problems. Some cluster problems are designed to help students make sense of
multiplying two-digit numbers. They build an understanding of two-digit multiplication by
pulling apart multiplication problems into manageable subproblems, solving each of the smaller
problems, then putting the parts back together. (This process is based on an important
characteristic of multiplication called the distributive property.) Here is an example: 9x23 can be
thought of as (9x20) + (9x3). It can also be thought of as (9x10) + (9x10) + (9x3). In these
examples, 23 is pulled apart into easier parts and each part is multiplied by 9 in order to give the
solution to 9 x 23.
As students solve the first few problems in each cluster, they continue to practice single-digit
multiplication pairs. They make use of multiplying by 10 and by multiples of 10 as well as they
solve the easier problems in the cluster. Students are also asked to explain how they used the
easier problems to solve the harder problem; this prompts children to reflect on the strategies
they used so that they can apply that multiplication strategy independently to other problems and
so the teacher can have a window into the childs understanding of the relationships at hand.
Throughout their work with cluster problems, students are encouraged to add to the clusters any
additional easy problems that they use to help them solve the final, harder problem in the
cluster.
Below are some examples of fourth grader cluster problems and student explanations of how
they used any of the first few problems in the cluster to solve the final problem.

Sample 1

Sample 2

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