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
- 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)
- Demonstrate the example problem step-by-step. (using an interactive smart board with the problem displayed is a great way to do this)
- Guide students through the problem with you by using the page in their composition books.
- 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.
- Release students for independent practice.
- Give students an exit ticket either at the end of class or at the beginning of class the next day to assess understanding.
- Use exit ticket data to pull students for small groups or individual instruction.
- 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.
Want to Save a Ton of Time Planning?
Find my dividing decimals resources:
Looking for More Decimal Operations Resources?
Check out resources for:
- adding and subtracting decimals (digital and printable – visual models included)
- multiplying decimals (digital and printable – visual models included)
- multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of 10
