Big Ideas: Multiplying multi-digit numbers requires strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. After working with area models, students should have a solid understanding of the connection between place value and multi-digit multiplication. This task requires students to compute partial products of a multi-digit multiplication problem and find the sum of these partial products to produce the final product. This lesson gives students a more conceptual foundation of multiplication in order to assist them in the future when using the standard algorithm. Vocabulary: standard form, expanded form, distributive property, area model, product, partial products Special Materials: Grid paper (optional)