Money Math · Lesson Plan

Dividing Money with Whole Numbers

Division is the fourth operation students meet with money — after addition, subtraction, and multiplication — and the inverse of multiplication. This lesson introduces whole-number money division: what the quotient, dividend, and divisor are, how to think of a division problem as its matching multiplication problem, the special rules for 0 and 1, and how to write a quotient with a remainder. Students practice with coins or counters and a printable worksheet.

Grades 3–4 Lesson Plan 45–60 minutes Free Lesson

Dividing Money with Whole Numbers illustration

For Teachers

Lesson at a glance

Topic: Money Math
Grade Level: Grades 3–4
Resource Type: Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
Format: Lesson + worksheet
Materials: Printable lesson, worksheet, coins or counters, pencils

What Students Learn

Learning objectives

Define quotient, dividend, and divisor
Divide single-digit numbers, with and without remainders
Use the inverse (multiplication) to solve a division problem
Apply the rules for dividing by 0 and 1
Write a quotient with a remainder and check that the remainder is less than the divisor

Materials

What you’ll need

Printed lesson and worksheet (one per student)
Coins or counters for grouping
Pencils

Key Terms

Vocabulary

Quotient: The answer to a division problem.
Dividend: The number you are dividing.
Divisor: The number you are dividing by.
Remainder: What is left over when the dividend does not divide evenly.
Inverse operation: The operation that undoes another; division undoes multiplication.

For Teachers

Lesson plan

Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.

Lesson sequence

Division as an inverse (8 min). Remind students they already know addition, subtraction, and multiplication with money. Just as subtraction undoes addition (7 + 3 = 10, so 10 − 3 = 7), division undoes multiplication.
A worked example (10 min). “Liz has 15 coins and wants groups of 5. How many groups?” Solve 15 ÷ 5 by asking “what times 5 equals 15?” Introduce the terms: in 15 ÷ 5 = 3, the dividend is 15, the divisor is 5, the quotient is 3. Try 12 ÷ 4, 30 ÷ 5, and 63 ÷ 9 together.
Rules for 0 and 1 (7 min). 0 divided by any number (except 0) is 0; you cannot divide by 0; any number (except 0) divided by itself is 1; any number divided by 1 is itself.
Remainders (15 min). Show 44 ÷ 9. Since 5 × 9 = 45 is too big, use 4: 4 × 9 = 36, and 44 − 36 = 8, so the answer is 4 R8. Stress the check: the remainder must be less than the divisor — if it isn’t, the quotient can be one larger.
Worksheet (15 min). Students complete the printable division activity, using coins or counters to model the grouping.

Assessment

Check the worksheet: correct quotients and remainders, and that every remainder is smaller than its divisor.

Discussion

Discussion questions

What are the quotient, the dividend, and the divisor in a division problem?
How can a multiplication fact help you solve a division problem?
What happens when you divide 0 by a number? Why can’t you divide by 0?
What is a remainder, and how do you know your remainder is correct?
How is division related to multiplication?

Printable Lesson & Worksheet