How to teach long division

Long division is a hurdle to many students. I have written a long article about it where I approach teaching long division in several small steps. It is all also explained in this video:



How to teach long division video at YouTube


The video and the article do not delve into the "why" long division works, but suggest a specific sequence of teaching long division. It should also make the process of finding the remainder within long division more transparent to students.

Please read my article from this link: How to teach long division


What about teaching why long division works?

I feel the algorithm of long division AND why it works presents quite a complex thing for students to learn, so in this case I don't see a problem with first learning the algorithmic steps (the "how"), and later delving into the "why". Trying to do both simultaneously may prove to be too much to many students.

However, once your student has a basic mastery of how to do long division, it is time to also study what it is based on. To learn more about that, please see:

Long division as repeated subtraction
Why long division works (based on repeated subtraction)

Why long division works—a comparison with sharing money (bills) (video)

The Cookie Factory Guide to Long Division by Denise

Calculation Nation games

Calculation Nation is a new, free, math games website from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

It currently has 8 games, each of which you can play against the computer or against other players that are online at the same time as you. You will need to register first (free).

All of the games are educational and well made. They include:

Square Off
Drag a rectangle to cover as many spaceships as possible, calculating the perimeter.

Factor Dazzle
Find all the factors of a number to earn points. Then, choose a number for which your opponent must find the factors.


Dig It
Create and locate fractions on a number line to tell your shovel where to dig. Earn points for the amount of dirt you collect and the number of jewels you discover.

Click to enlarge

Times Square
Exercise your skill with factors and multiples! Try to get four squares in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. I liked this one! I've played it before somewhere else as well.

Drop Zone
Make sums of 1, using different unlike fractions, and prevent your opponent from making sums of 1. I liked this one!

Click to enlarge

Slam Ball
Slam the ball into the sides of the game board, and use your knowledge of angles, symmetry, and reflections to choose the best path

Ker-Splash
A ball goes down a series of ramps and grabs either x, y, or plain number tokens. You need to figure out the best route for the ball, and combine terms. My kids really liked this one. I liked it alright as well. It's not very difficult - more for prealgebra level than algebra 1.

Click to enlarge

Fraction Feud
In each joust, earn points by creating a larger (or smaller) fraction than your opponent.

Click here to visit Calculation Nation games.

Teacher apprecation week is coming

I myself have enjoyed the downloadable resources from these Learning A-Z websites in the past, so I thought you might take a look, too. It's all going to be free for a week! Here's their blurb:

To thank the world's teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week from May 3-7, we're opening up all six of our PreK-6 Learning A-Z websites — for free. Sites include Reading A-Z, Raz-Kids, Writing A-Z, Science A-Z, Vocabulary A-Z, and Reading-Tutors.

Nearly 50,000 teachers took advantage of our Open House last year and pre-registration for this year is now open. Just go to http://www.learninga-z.com/openhouse — and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues!