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Lesson · Grade 3 · Mathematics

Two Ways to Divide: Sharing and Grouping

  • Grade 3
  • Mathematics
  • 1 min 8 s
  • British Columbia
  • BC3-MA-15

Twelve cookies are shared among 3 plates, one at a time, so each plate gets 4 (checked with 4 + 4 + 4 = 12). Then 12 fresh cookies are put into groups of 3 by taking 3 away again and again (12 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3 = 0), making 4 groups, so both ways give 12 ÷ 3 = 4: sharing finds how many are in each group and grouping finds how many groups there are.

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In one sentence

The question this lesson answers

Here are 12 cookies.

There are two ways to divide 12 by 3.

Transcript

What the lesson says

Here are 12 cookies.

There are two ways to divide 12 by 3.

The first way is sharing: we share the 12 cookies among 3 plates.

Give one cookie to each plate, again and again, until none are left.

Each plate gets 4 cookies, so 12 divided by 3 is 4.

Check: 4 plus 4 plus 4 is 12.

The second way is grouping: start again with 12 cookies, and make groups of 3.

Take away 3 cookies at a time, and put them in a group.

This is repeated subtraction: 12 take away 3, four times, leaves 0.

We made 4 groups of 3, so 12 divided by 3 is 4.

Both ways give the same answer, 4.

Sharing finds how many are in each group, and grouping finds how many groups there are.

Curriculum

Where this fits

British Columbia, Grade 3

Mathematics, Number: multiplication and division conceptsBC3-MA-15

Previous: Arrays: 3 rows of 4 and 4 rows of 3Next: One Array, Two Facts: 3 × 4 = 12 and 12 ÷ 3 = 4

The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.

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