Unlock the secret to making division easy for your fifth or sixth grader with our latest blog post!
This post includes five sample problems to enhance your child’s understanding right from the start.
Dividing large numbers, like 56,566 ÷ 768, can be one of the most daunting challenges for fifth or sixth graders. Many students struggle with these complex problems, especially if they haven’t mastered their multiplication facts.
This lack of foundational skills can make tackling large division problems feel next to impossible. It can lead to frustration, a lack of confidence, and a general aversion to math. Without proper strategies, students may find themselves falling behind, unable to keep up with their peers.
Our article introduces Area Division, a strategy designed to ensure all children can successfully divide large numbers. In our blog post, your child will:
- Discover Area Division: Learn an innovative method that simplifies the process of dividing large numbers.
- Build Confidence: Step-by-step lessons make complex problems manageable, boosting your child’s confidence.
- Achieve Long-term Success: A solid understanding of division is crucial for future math success.
This is the fifth article in a series of seven, each providing a complete lesson on division. Visit our website (https://www.teachersdungeon.com/) for a comprehensive educational program designed to help kids become proficient in mathematics. By mastering these strategies, your child will gain a deeper, more concrete understanding of division, paving the way for a successful educational journey. Don’t miss out on this valuable resource—empower your child’s learning today!
When you complete this article, click here to move to the next lesson, How to do Long Division – Dividing when your answer is a Decimal.
With the standard algorithm for division, children are taught to round the divisor up or down before estimating how many time the divisor will go into the dividend. This can cause frustration and a lot of erasing! For example, with the problem 43,642 ÷ 739; Children are taught to round 739 down to 700. Next, since 739 x 6 = 4434, you would multiply by 6. But as you can see below, the 6 is too high and that would put you over, so you would have to erase and try again.
With Area Division, children will never get frustrated, because they never guess too high and have to erase!
If you watch one of my videos, you can see this strategy in action.
The strategy of counting by the numbers is designed specifically for children who do NOT know their multiplication facts. My goal is for children is to memorize their multiplication facts. However, until they know all their facts, they need a strategy. Counting by the numbers is the easiest strategy to learn. Therefore, I have added counting by the numbers to the end of each and every video. Children who do not know all their multiplication facts should watch and count with me at the end of each of these videos until they can count by all the number on their own. Repetition of this strategy will help in all areas of math that require multiplication. Once a child knows all their multiplication facts, they can stop the videos after the problem is solved and before Counting by the Numbers begins.
I have scaffold the problems in each lesson.
The first problem in this article is a “Watch Me” problem. The second is a “Work with Me” problem. All the rest are “On Your Own” problems.
*If your child needs a bit more support, they should complete the “On Your Own” problems as a “Work with Me” problem. I have a number of students with gaps in their learning and others with a variety of learning disabilities. I have had incredible success, by having those students complete 5 to 7 problems within each lesson as a “Work with Me” problem. They play a bit of the video, then pause it and copy, then watch a bit more, pause it and copy. My students Play – Pause – and Copy until the entire problem is solved. This is like having a personal tutor working through each and every problem with your child. Every one of my students who has used this strategy has passed the Common Core Proficiency Exam.
How to do Long Division with Online Tutoring in Math: Challenge 1
Watch Me
Flying to the Moon
You recently joined the Junior NASA Club of America. As a member of the club, you get to board a rocket ship and fly to the moon. You will land on the moon and stay there fore 24 hours. Then you will return home. The moon is 239,145 miles from Earth. Your rocket ship will fly 321 miles per hour. How long will it take you to reach the moon?
Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video!
Press PLAY and Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video below. Then copy these strategies into your notes!
How to do Long Division with Online Tutoring in Math: Challenge 2
Work With Me
Don’t Cry Over Spilt Sugar
It’s your mother’s birthday, so you decide to bake her a cake. You reach for the sugar and carry it from the pantry towards the counter. Unfortunately, the bag rips. Sugar spills all over the floor. There are 56,566 granules of sugar on your kitchen floor. You begin to sweep the sugar up with a broom and dust pan. If each scoop of the dust pan picks up 768 granules of sugar, how many scoops will you need to complete before you have it all picked up?
Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video!
Gather your materials and press PLAY. We’ll solve this problem together, while you watch the math tutorial video below.
How to do Long Division with Online Tutoring in Math: Challenge 3
On Your Own
Australian Ant Eaters
The largest ant colony in the US is in California. This one ant colony runs for 560 miles along the coast. What if 246 Australian Ant Eaters escaped from the zoo and started eating as fast as they could? What if they ate a total of 44,034 ants before they were caught and returned to the zoo? If they all eat the same amount of ants, how many ants would each ant eater have eaten?
Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video!
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
How to do Long Division with Online Tutoring in Math: Challenge 4
On Your Own
Mosquitoes on Silver Lake
You live on Silver Lake. It’s beautiful, and you love swimming in the cool waters on hot days. Unfortunately, there are 327,294 mosquitoes that fly around your lake and attack you when you’re trying to swim. Luckily the bats come out at night. There are 342 bats that live near Silver Lake. If each bat ate the same amount of mosquitoes, how many mosquitoes must each bat each in order for your lake home to be free of the blood sucking insects?
Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video!
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
How to do Long Division with Online Tutoring in Math: Challenge 5
On Your Own
Scorpion Attack
Your home is under attack. There are 244,942 scorpions racing down the hill toward your home. Luckily, you raise meerkats, which eat scorpions. As a matter of fact, scorpions are like a big old chocolate cake to meerkat. They think scorpions are tasty. You have 147 meerkats at your home. You let all your meerkats go in your yard to protect you from the scorpions. How many scorpions must each meerkat eat in order to save your home from this scorpion attack?
Watch this Free Tutoring for Math Video!
Once you complete the problem – Hit PLAY on the math tutorial video below. Good Luck!
Want More Tutorials?
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