Dividing with Angry Cats: Understanding Equal Groups!

Mathematics Grades 4th Grade 3:40 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn about division by separating groups of angry cats! We'll explore how division can mean making equal groups and finding out how many are in each group, or finding out how many equal groups we can make.

Video Resource

Division as equal groupings

Khan Academy

Duration: 3:40
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Division as equal groupings
  • Dividend, divisor, and quotient
  • Two interpretations of division (number of groups vs. size of groups)

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to divide a set of objects into equal groups.
  • Students will be able to identify the number of items in each group when dividing into a specific number of groups.
  • Students will be able to determine the number of groups that can be made when dividing into groups of a specific size.
  • Students will be able to explain the two ways to interpret division problems.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what they already know about division. Discuss real-life scenarios where they might need to divide things into equal groups (e.g., sharing snacks, distributing supplies). Introduce the video and explain they will be learning about division in a fun way, using angry cats!
  • Video Viewing (7 mins)
    Play the Khan Academy video 'Division as equal groupings'. Encourage students to pay attention to how the angry cats are divided into groups.
  • Discussion and Examples (10 mins)
    After the video, review the two ways the instructor shows division: dividing into a set number of groups and dividing into groups of a set size. Work through a few more examples together on the board, using different objects (e.g., pencils, erasers, students). Ask students to explain the meaning of each number in the division problem (dividend, divisor, quotient).
  • Group Activity (15 mins)
    Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of manipulatives (e.g., counters, blocks, small toys). Provide each group with division problems to solve by creating equal groups with the manipulatives. Have them write down the division sentence and explain what each number represents.
  • Wrap Up (3 mins)
    Review the main concepts of the lesson. Remind students that division is about splitting things into equal groups, and we can think about it in two ways: how many in each group, or how many groups we can make. Briefly introduce the quizzes for assessment.

Interactive Exercises

  • Manipulative Division
    Provide students with counters or blocks. Give them word problems like: 'Divide 15 counters into 3 equal groups. How many counters are in each group?' or 'Divide 20 blocks into groups of 5. How many groups can you make?' Students solve the problems with the manipulatives.
  • Drawing Groups
    Give students worksheets with division problems. Have them draw circles to represent groups and then draw dots or other symbols inside the circles to represent the items being divided. This helps them visualize the equal groupings.

Discussion Questions

  • What does it mean to divide something into equal groups?
  • Can you think of a time when you had to divide something equally?
  • What's the difference between knowing how many groups you want and knowing how big each group should be?
  • Explain the two ways to think about a division problem. Can you give an example of each way?

Skills Developed

  • Problem-solving
  • Visual representation of mathematical concepts
  • Understanding division as equal sharing/grouping

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What does it mean to divide something into equal groups?

Correct Answer: Both A and B

Question 2:

If you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 4 friends, how many cookies does each friend get?

Correct Answer: 3

Question 3:

You have 20 stickers and want to put 5 stickers on each page of your sticker book. How many pages will you fill?

Correct Answer: 4

Question 4:

Which division sentence represents dividing 18 toys into 3 equal groups?

Correct Answer: 18 ÷ 3 = ?

Question 5:

If you divide 24 pencils into 6 equal groups, how many pencils are in each group?

Correct Answer: 4

Question 6:

You have 30 candies and want to make bags with 5 candies in each bag. How many bags can you make?

Correct Answer: 6

Question 7:

What does the division sentence 15 ÷ 3 = 5 mean?

Correct Answer: 15 shared into 3 groups equals 5 in each group

Question 8:

You have 81 marbles. You want to make equal groups of nine. How many groups can you make?

Correct Answer: 9

Question 9:

The teacher divides 28 students into 4 groups. How many students are in each group?

Correct Answer: 7

Question 10:

What does the 12 represent in the equation 12 ÷ 4 = 3?

Correct Answer: The total number of items

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

Division is like sharing something into ______ groups.

Correct Answer: equal

Question 2:

In the division problem 10 ÷ 2 = 5, the number 10 is the ________.

Correct Answer: dividend

Question 3:

If you divide 16 apples into groups of 4, you can make ______ groups.

Correct Answer: 4

Question 4:

When you divide something equally, each group has the _______ amount.

Correct Answer: same

Question 5:

In the division problem 12 ÷ 3 = 4, the number 3 tells us how many _______ we are dividing into.

Correct Answer: groups

Question 6:

If you have 25 stickers and put 5 in each group, you will have ____ groups.

Correct Answer: 5

Question 7:

Division helps us to find out either how many are in each group, or how many ______ we can make.

Correct Answer: groups

Question 8:

The answer to a division problem is called the _________.

Correct Answer: quotient

Question 9:

When dividing 36 objects into 6 equal groups, there are ____ objects in each group.

Correct Answer: 6

Question 10:

In the equation 48 ÷ 8 = 6, the number 8 represents _________.

Correct Answer: groups

Educational Standards

4.N.2.5:Use strategies and algorithms (e.g., mental strategies, standard algorithms, partial quotients, repeated subtraction, the commutative, associative, and distributive properties) based on knowledge of place value, equality, and properties of operations to divide a 3-digit dividend by a 1-digit whole number divisor, with and without remainders. 4.N.2.1:Demonstrate fluency with multiplication and division facts with factors up to 12.

Teaching Materials

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