This week we began learning about division.
To make it easier, we have talked about division using something the students are already very familiar with - arrays.
Students created arrays using a given number of tiles, and wrote division problems that described the array. For example, they might have made an array that was 4 tiles down and 6 tiles across. The total was 24 tiles. Written as a division expression, it would look like "24 / 4 = 6", or "total number" divided by "rows" equals "number in each row".
We learned about "remainders", or what is left over when a number cannot be divided evenly. We talked about how remainders can be written as XrN, with the quotient, R meaning remainder, and N as the number remaining. We also practiced writing remainders as a fraction of the original number, because this will help them tremendously in 5th grade.
We often use dry-erase boards for quick formative assessment in class. It helps me see immediately who is understanding the concept and who needs more practice. We used the dry erase boards to practice solving division problems in class once we were comfortable with the concept.
