Illustrative Mathematics Grade 4, Unit 9: Putting It All Together
In this unit, your child revisits the year's biggest ideas: multiplication as comparison, place value, equivalent fractions, measurement conversions, and lines and angles. They apply them in new problems and games, building fluency and confidence. It follows the unit on two-dimensional shapes and closes out the year.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Unit 9?
- Revisiting multiplication as comparison, and explaining why 48 is 6 times as many as 8. Learn more: Reading multiplication as "times as many"
- Reviewing how a digit's value grows ten times with each place it moves to the left. Learn more: Why each place is worth ten times the next
- Practicing equivalent fractions with models and multiplication, like showing 2/3 = 8/12. Learn more: Why fractions like 3/4 and 6/8 are equal
- Converting between units, like hours to minutes and meters to centimeters, to solve new problems. Learn more: Converting feet to inches and kilograms to grams
- Spotting lines, rays, segments, and angles in shapes and pictures, and naming parallel and perpendicular lines. Learn more: Spotting lines, rays, angles, and parallel lines
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
A man is 6 feet tall. A giraffe is 3 times as tall as the man. Which equation finds g, the giraffe's height in feet?
- g = 3 × 6
- 6 = 3 × g
- g = 3 + 6
How you can help
- Play a "times as many" game at dinner: one person names an amount, like 7, and the other says the amount 6 times as many, 42, as a full sentence.
- Fold a sheet of paper in half, then fold each half into fifths. Ask your child how many tenths cover 1/2, and why the amount stayed the same.
- Ask conversion questions on a walk or ride: if a movie is 2 hours, how many minutes? If a trail is 3 kilometers, how many meters? Then hunt for parallel lines nearby.
Where kids can get stuck
- Saying the 4 in 4,000 and the 4 in 400 are worth the same.
- Multiplying only the denominator, so 2/3 is renamed 2/12 instead of 8/12.
- Converting 3 meters to 30 centimeters instead of 300, as if each meter held only 10.
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- times as many
- A way to compare two amounts by saying how many copies of one make the other.
- place value
- The value a digit has because of its place in a number.
- equivalent fractions
- Fractions that name the same amount, like 3/4 and 6/8.
- convert
- To change a measurement into a different unit, like 3 feet into 36 inches.
- ray
- A part of a line that starts at one point and goes on forever in one direction.
- parallel lines
- Lines that always stay the same distance apart and never meet.
- perpendicular lines
- Lines that meet or cross to make right angles.
Ready to build your child’s confidence with fourth grade math?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
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Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does Illustrative Mathematics Grade 4 Unit 9 cover?
Illustrative Mathematics Grade 4 Unit 9 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
- 4.OA.A.1: Understand "times as many": 35 is 5 times as many as 7.
- 4.NBT.A.1: Know that each place is worth 10 times the place to its right.
- 4.NF.A.1: Find equal fractions, like 3/4 = 6/8, by multiplying top and bottom.
- 4.MD.A.1: Change larger units into smaller ones, like 4 feet = 48 inches.
- 4.G.A.1: Name rays and angles, and spot parallel and perpendicular lines.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.