Are you dreading teaching your students the different strategies for dividing decimals?  There are so many types of decimal division problems!

Well, I’m breaking it down for you in easy-to-teach mini-lessons for each type of division problem.

Types of Dividing Decimals Problems

Dividing Decimals…

• by whole numbers
• dividing whole numbers by decimals
• by decimals
  • with the same number of decimal digits in both the dividend and divisor
  • with a different number of decimal digits in both the dividend and divisor
  • annexing zeros
• with visual models

How I Teach it In the Classroom

1.  Introduce each type of division problem with a mini-lesson using guided notes. (I love building a composition book full of detailed notes with my students)
2.   Demonstrate the example problem step-by-step. (using an interactive smart board with the problem displayed is a great way to do this)
3.   Guide students through the problem with you by using the page in their composition books.
4.   Allow students to participate by coming up to the board to solve two more introductory problems, with other students solving it in their composition books.
5.   Release students for independent practice.
6.   Give students an exit ticket either at the end of class or at the beginning of class the next day to assess understanding.
7.   Use exit ticket data to pull students for small groups or individual instruction.
8.   After teaching each of the types of division, summatively assess with a quiz.

How You Can Teach it Digitally

Is your school remote or using a hybrid model?

You can do everything above digitally.  To intervene with students, you can meet with small groups virtually to re-teach.

Each of the mini-lessons, including their practice activities and exit tickets, as well as the quiz, are also available in a digital form.  Mini-lessons and practice activities are provided in Google Slides.  In addition, a tutorial video is included in each mini-lesson that takes students step-by-step through the example problem from the guided notes.  Parents will find it helpful to have a clear guide to each of the problems along with the video (especially for the visual models!).

Common Misconceptions

When there’s a decimal in the divisor, students sometimes will:

• not move the decimal in the divisor
• forget to place the decimal straight up into their answer (after moving the decimal in the divisor and dividend)
• move the decimal in the divisor, but not the dividend
• move the decimal in the dividend, but not the divisor,
• move the decimal point a different number of times in the dividend and divisor to make them each a whole number
• have trouble understanding that they’re really increasing both the dividend and the divisor by the same power of ten, as opposed to thinking of it as “moving the decimal” – this is important to clarify as you’re teaching

Need More Help?

I even have a PDF that you can e-mail out to parents with links to the tutorial videos.  If they’re struggling to help their child at home, the videos will provide step-by-step directions to solve each type of decimal division problem.

Watch the tutorial videos to see two dividing decimals examples (with visual models and the standard algorithm – tenths and hundredths).

AND…snag a copy of the template by clicking below, which comes with the parent guide.