Learning Long Division: Start with the Basics

The quotient is the number of groups to be used. For 73 divided by 3, 73 is the divident and 3 is the quotient. When students understand that division is a sharing problem, long division makes much more sense. In this case, the number 73 is identified with base 10 strips. 3 circles are drawn to indicate the number of groups (quotient). The 73 is then equally divided into the 3 circles. In this case the children will discover that there will be leftovers - a remainder. .

If you don't have Base 10 Blocks, copy this sheet on to heavy (card stock) and cut out 100 strips, 10 strips and 1's. It is very important for a student to represent their numbers when beginning long division.