Lesson 2
Meanings of Division
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students revisit the relationship between multiplication and division that they learned in prior grades. Specifically, students recall that we can think of multiplication as expressing the number of equal-size groups, and that we can find a product if we know thenumber of groups and thesize of each group. They interpret division as a way of finding a missing factor, which can either be the number of groups, or the size of one group. They do so in the context of concrete situations and by using diagrams and equations to support their reasoning.
As they represent division situations with diagrams and equations and interpret division equations in context, students reason quantitatively and abstractly (MP2).
Learning Goals
Teacher Facing
- Interpret and create tape diagrams that represent situations involving equal-sized groups.
- Interpret a verbal description of a multiplication situation (in spoken or written language), and identify which quantity is unknown, i.e., the number of groups, the amount in one group, or the total amount.
- Recognize there are two different ways to interpret a division expression, i.e., asking “how many groups?” or “how many in each group?”
Student Facing
Learning Targets
Student Facing
- I can create a diagram or write an equation that represents division and multiplication questions.
- I can decide whether a division question is asking “how many groups?” or “how many in each group?”.
- I can explain two ways of interpreting a division expression such as $27 \div 3$.
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