Rocket pins the Field Day schedule to the wall. "Three hours. Each game lasts half an hour. How many games?"
"That is 3 ÷ 1/2," says Raven. "What do you notice?"
"Six games," Rocket says. "Two halves in every hour, three hours."
"And practice is 1 1/2 hours, in quarter-hour turns," Raven adds. "How many turns?"
Rocket writes 3/2 ÷ 1/4 = 3/2 × 4 = 6. "Six turns. Division is everywhere today."
Nova hovers over the schedule. "It was everywhere all week," she says. "Scoops, strips, ribbon, signs."
Rocket grins. "And next week? What do you divide next?"
Nova hums. "Numbers with a decimal point. Bring the tape measure."
Time: how many half-hour games fit in 3 hours? 3 ÷ 1/2 = 6.
Recipes: how many 1/4 cup scoops make 1 1/2 cups? 1 1/2 ÷ 1/4 = 6.
Walking: a 2 1/2 mile trail in 1/2 mile sections has 2 1/2 ÷ 1/2 = 5 sections.
Sharing: 3/4 of a strip of stickers shared among 3 friends gives 3/4 ÷ 3 = 1/4 strip each.
Dividing by a fraction less than 1 gives a quotient bigger than the dividend. 5 ÷ 1/3 = 15.
Dividing by a number bigger than 1 gives a quotient smaller than the dividend. 5 ÷ 3 is less than 2.
Dividing by 1 changes nothing. Use these checks to catch a flipped mistake before it spreads.
| Week review | True or false? |
|---|---|
| 3 ÷ 1/2 = 6 | ? |
| 2/3 ÷ 3/4 = 8/9 | ? |
| 3/4 ÷ 3 = 1/4 | ? |
| 5 ÷ 1/3 = 5/3 | ? |
| Dividing by a fraction less than 1 makes the quotient bigger than the dividend. | ? |
A whole week of fraction division. Tomorrow is Data Day: a scoop count with your family.