Introduction to Division

You will need paper plates and pasta. Sit the children in groups of 5 or 6, and give each child a paper plate. In the middle of each group, place a plate of 30 pieces of pasta. You may want children to check there are 30 pieces of pasta before you begin.

Ask the children to share the pasta pieces so that everyone has the same.

• How many does each person get? (different for groups of 5 or 6).

For each group emphasise the following:

• How many pieces of pasta?
• How many plates (people)?
• How many pieces of pasta did each person get?

Repeat in words and mathematical symbols: "30 divided by 6 equals 5; 30 divided by 5 equals 6."

Who can work out why we had different results for different groups?
What about if we had 30 pieces of pasta and 10 people?