Summary

Sharing and grouping are illustrated.

Start with the sharing activity on the left-hand side of the screen. Click on the jar of sweets to share them, one at a time. Once all the sweets are shared, how many does each child get?

Now move onto the right-hand side of the screen to group the sweets. You will pick up two sweets at a time. Stress that this time you are taking sweets away, two at a time (one for each child), from the total number of sweets.

This is repeated subtraction or grouping. Ask pupils to decide how many sweets each child gets. Stress that they need to consider the number of rows or sections of pairs of sweets. Compare this answer with the sharing method.

Subsequent screens explore different divisions to build confidence and familiarity. Discuss with pupils which method seems easier in each case.

Suitable for

Year 3

Prior learning

Experience with division.

Aims and objectives

Pupils need to develop strategies to improve their speed and accuracy at division. Understanding grouping and sharing are key skills in this development.

Using the activity with a non-interactive whiteboard

It would be possible to work from the computer and mouse to carry out the same activities.

Suggestions for group activities

Ask pupils to divide piles of cubes using grouping and sharing. Provide containers for pupils to place the cubes if they are sharing and ask them to place the blocks in rows on the table when they are grouping. Use other items to stimulate interest, eg beads, pencils, real sweets. Provide cards with a question that groups of pupils have to use objects to illustrate an answer to. For example "How many tens make 80?" could be illustrated by using sticks of 10 cubes.

Suggestions for differentiation

More able pupils will be able to cope with larger numbers using multiples of 6, 7 and 8. Less able pupils will be more comfortable with multiples of 10 and 5. Use question cards that phrase questions in a variety of formats using appropriate vocabulary depending on ability. For example, "8 ÷ 2 =" compared with "how many twos in eight?" or "eight shared between 2".

Further activities

Tie the activity into an art project where pupils make a decoration using strips of paper and string (for example, wool on a lamb). They have to decide how many pieces of paper/string they will get from a given length of paper/string.

Curriculum links

National Numeracy Strategy Year 3 objective: Understand division as grouping (repeated subtraction) or sharing.