BBC Kids Bitesize
The "Division Mine" game on the BBC Kids website allows students to answer division facts, and then see the problem visually represented. Students help Max and Molly (two miners) choose the number of wagons they need for each set of diamonds. For instance, if the problem is 20 / 4, students are trying to figure out how many carts are needed if there are 4 diamonds in each cart. This is not a racing game, so if students need to take time to either solve the problem mentally or on paper, that is fine. Students then choose from one of three answers, and the diamonds are put into that number of carts. If the student has selected the wrong answer, there will either be leftover diamonds or leftover carts, and they are given the chance to try again. Once they get the correct answer, a small window pops up that explains, "Thats right! 20 / 4 = 5 which is the same as 20 shared 4 ways." This is trying to show the player that 20 / 4 can either mean that there are 4 things in each group, or it can mean that there are 4 groups (the two division problem types). The objective of this activity is for students to think about what division really means- breaking up a large number of objects into smaller groups. This online game shows student a picture of the problem they are solving. If they had submitted the incorrect answer, they will see WHY it does not work. Parents, you may want to encourage your child to start on the "Medium" level, and work their way to up "Really Hard." If they submit an incorrect answer, you might ask them, "Why didn't that work? Do we need more groups, or less groups? How do you know?" Also, having a pencil and paper, or other manipulatives such as pennies or blocks, available while your child is playing this game may help them if they get stuck.
Note: This game does not include remainders, so you may want to play your own game at home, but modified by using numbers that do not fit evenly into the "carts." This will bring up the problem of what to do with the remainder, depending on what the problem is asking. If the problem was 21 / 5, you could ask "How many carts would we need to hold all the diamonds?" or, "How many full carts could we have?" The first question would need 6 carts (5 full carts and 1 cart with 1 diamond in it), and the second question would need 5 carts (you would have 5 full carts, and the extra diamond would not be considered because it could not fill up another whole cart). There are "Medium" and "Really Hard" level printable worksheets below the game for extra practice.
(No log on required) (BBC KS1 Bitesize Games > Division Mine > Level)
Note: This game does not include remainders, so you may want to play your own game at home, but modified by using numbers that do not fit evenly into the "carts." This will bring up the problem of what to do with the remainder, depending on what the problem is asking. If the problem was 21 / 5, you could ask "How many carts would we need to hold all the diamonds?" or, "How many full carts could we have?" The first question would need 6 carts (5 full carts and 1 cart with 1 diamond in it), and the second question would need 5 carts (you would have 5 full carts, and the extra diamond would not be considered because it could not fill up another whole cart). There are "Medium" and "Really Hard" level printable worksheets below the game for extra practice.
(No log on required) (BBC KS1 Bitesize Games > Division Mine > Level)
AcademicSkillBuilders.com
The "Drag Race Division" game is always popular among students, as they compete in a race against other children from around the world! Each student is given a racecar, and correctly answering each division problem increases their speed. Students can either create a temporary username and join a public game, or choose to have their own password-protected, private game to play against their friends on other computers. This activity is meant to build automaticity with simpler division problems (there are only small double-digit dividends and single-digit divisors). Practicing these basic division facts will later help students solve more complicated problems more efficiently. The objective of this activity is for students to become very familiar and almost automatic with division (and inversely multiplication) facts through 12 x 12 (up to 144/12). Success in this game would be for students to use mental math to select the correct solution, in a relatively quick manner. Students should NOT randomly guess answers if they are unsure, but instead take a moment to think through the problem using related facts they may be more familiar with. For instance, if the problem is 28 / 4, and the student knows 28 / 2 = 14, and half of 14 is 7 (or 14 / 2), they can infer that 28 / 4 = 7.
Observing your child playing the "Drag Race Division" game may give you an idea about what division facts they may need more practice with. If they are struggling with numbers divided by 5, for example, you could practice doing the 5s multiplication/division tables using a pencil and paper or flashcards.
Note: This game does not deal with remainders, and there is no pictorial representation of the problems. Especially because it is a timed game, working out the problems with a pencil and paper is not ideal- it works best for practicing memorized division facts. When a student selects an incorrect answer, they are told the correct quotient, but are not given the chance to try the same problem again.
(No log in required) (Click on the "Division" tab, and then select "Drag Race Division")
Observing your child playing the "Drag Race Division" game may give you an idea about what division facts they may need more practice with. If they are struggling with numbers divided by 5, for example, you could practice doing the 5s multiplication/division tables using a pencil and paper or flashcards.
Note: This game does not deal with remainders, and there is no pictorial representation of the problems. Especially because it is a timed game, working out the problems with a pencil and paper is not ideal- it works best for practicing memorized division facts. When a student selects an incorrect answer, they are told the correct quotient, but are not given the chance to try the same problem again.
(No log in required) (Click on the "Division" tab, and then select "Drag Race Division")
BrainPOP.com
This short video ("Division") reviews the terms “quotient,” “divisor,” and “dividend.” Watch this video with your child, and then practice using the terms when working on division problems. When first looking at a division problem, ask, “What is the dividend (the big number we are dividing?)” “What is the divisor (the number of groups/number of things in each group)?” and later, “What is the quotient (the solution)?” This website also has a lot of other wonderful videos about mathematics, science, English, social studies, art, health, and technology. The objective of this activity is for students to know the correct terminology for the parts of a division problem.
Note: This video is not interactive, and should be used as a review of these terms. The video can move a little bit fast, so students should be somewhat familiar with these terms beforehand.
(Log in required) (Math > Numbers & Operations > Division)
Note: This video is not interactive, and should be used as a review of these terms. The video can move a little bit fast, so students should be somewhat familiar with these terms beforehand.
(Log in required) (Math > Numbers & Operations > Division)