Fourth Grade · Math · week 19

Division with base-ten blocks

Model division of a multi-digit number by a 1-digit divisor with base-ten blocks, trading a block when it cannot split evenly.

Division splits a total into equal groups, the same idea from third grade, but now the total can include hundreds and tens too. Start sharing with the biggest blocks first.

Sometimes a block cannot be split evenly among the groups. When that happens, trade it for ten of the next smaller block and keep sharing. That trading is exactly what "bring down the next digit" will mean in long division later.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Use real base-ten blocks or careful drawings (squares for hundreds, sticks for tens, dots for ones) to make the trading physical.
  • Always start sharing with the biggest block available before moving to smaller ones.
  • When a block cannot be split evenly among the groups, trade it for ten of the next-smaller block and keep going.
  • Point out that this hands-on trading is exactly what "bring down the next digit" will mean symbolically in long division soon.
Talk about it:
  • Why do we start dividing with the biggest blocks first?
  • What does it mean to "trade" a block during division?
  • How does trading connect to what you will do in long division?

Mastery looks like: They model multi-digit division with base-ten blocks, correctly trading a larger block for smaller ones whenever a group cannot be evenly shared.

Common stumbles: Forgetting to add a traded block into the next place before dividing again; splitting blocks unevenly among the groups.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Place ValueWatch ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands build big numbers.try →DivisionShare fairly and build equal groups.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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