Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday Mathematics - Long Division Line-up

I don't know about you, but one of my primary recollections of 4th grade is a blackboard full of long division problems we were expected to copy and complete on a regular basis.  Tedious indeed!
Not a lot of fun, either.  But I definitely knew how to follow the steps to solve a long division problem by the time I went on to fifth grade.

As a teacher, I dread long division.  I want my students to learn how to do it but I don't want them to find it tedious like I did.  Is it possible for long division to be fun? Maybe.  I went on a search and here are some of the things I found.


Snork's Long Division Game
"A step by step long division game that allows students to practice their long division skills in a supportive and fun environment. Your students teach a lovable monster named Snork how to do long division. As students complete each step of the long division math problems, Snork is visibly amazed by the intelligence of the students."

Math Video
This is a pretty good video but I don't completely agree with the way that they use the base tens blocks.    I understand what they are doing with the base ten blocks but it seems like it would cause problems when you move beyond double digits. I would be interested to hear what others think about this one.


Long Division Mathematics
It's true what they say... "there's an app for that!"  Right now it is priced at $3.99 and  I haven't downloaded it but I'm tempted.  There's something about putting a mobile device in a students' hand that ignites the learning even if it is the same drill based learning that used to be on a blackboard.

Draggable Division
I've been a fan of Mr. Nussbaum for a long time.  This doesn't have the frills of the Snork Game but it is interactive and can be used online or you can grab the app.  This is great for advanced practice.

Well, I don't know that I'm any more excited about teaching long division but at least I've found a few techie tools that may help me to engage the students and help them to endure the tedious process.

If you have a long division tip to share, I'd love for you to leave a comment.

By the way, my search of TeachersPayTeachers found 126 products.  One of the freebies is a song.  I'm definitely going to have to try that!





5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the new ideas! I also dread teaching long division because it can get boring. I am off to check out some of your the games/apps.
    ~Jennifer
    Roaming Around 4th Grade

    ReplyDelete
  2. sunny day plus sidewalk chalk helps cure the long division blues....at least for an afternoon

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  3. Have you tried the Big 7 method?

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