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Watch: Counting in threes

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Repeated addition

Here are some dice.

What do you notice about these dice?

4 dice each showing the number 3

You may have noticed that there are 4 dice and they all show the number 3.

What is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3?

There is more than one way to find the right answer.

You could double the first two, then double them again.Or you could count up in 3s.

Did you get the answer 12?

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Using cubes

Here are some cubes.

Can you see a pattern?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, 3 blocks,

The numbers are increasing.

3, 6, 9, 12

The numbers are increasing by 3 each time.

3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12

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Using arrays

Here is an array.

We can count in 3s from top to bottom.

an array showing 12 circles in 4 rows of 3

Or from left to right.

an array showing 12 circles in 3 rows of 4
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Counting on a numberline

This is what counting up in 3s looks like on a number line.

Can you see a pattern? What do you notice?

number line with 6, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 highlighted
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Counting on hands

Here is another way to count in 3s.

Put your hands out in front of you, palms facing up.

Starting with your left thumb, count up in 3s.

hands with 3 cubes on each finger

After 30 what are the next 3 multiples of 3?

Let’s count in 3s:

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39

Can you continue the pattern?

How far can you go?

Can you count back in 3s from 30?

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Activities

Activity 1

Try out your new counting skills with this word problem.

Kylie the kangaroo jumps in 3s on a numberline. She starts at 0 and jumps 16 times.

  • After 5 jumps, what number does Kylie land on?
  • After 10 jumps, what number does Kylie land on?
  • After 16 jumps what number does Kylie land on?
  • How did you work it out?

a kangaroo
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Quiz

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More on Multiplying and dividing

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