Exposure to various methods can be extremely beneficial for those taking on complex multiplication in the third grade. This worksheet will familiarize children with the lattice method of multiplication, giving them a fresh perspective on solving double-digit multiplication problems.

The lattice method is a visual way of multiplying numbers that involves drawing a grid. To multiply 32 by 54, a sixth grader would start by drawing a 2x2 grid since each number has two digits. Along the top of the grid, they would write 32 (each digit over a separate column), and along the side, they would write 54 (each digit beside a separate row). Inside each cell, they would multiply the digit from the top by the digit from the side and write the result in the cell, splitting each number diagonally with the tens digit in the upper triangle and the units digit in the lower triangle. For example, the top-left cell, where 3 and 5 intersect, would contain "15" with "1" at the top and "5" at the bottom. After filling out all the cells, the sixth grader would add the numbers along the diagonals, starting from the bottom-right corner and moving to the top-left corner, carrying over any tens as needed. The sums of the diagonals are then combined to get the final product. For 32 x 54, the completed grid and sums would show the final product of 1728.