The long division steps
- Divide. How many times does the divisor go into this part?
- Multiply. Write the product under it.
- Subtract. Find what is left.
- Bring down. Bring down the next digit and start again.
More practice
Division facts come first: the times tables worksheets include division facts. For multiplying big numbers, see long multiplication.In the Australian Curriculum
- FoundationRepresenting equal sharing and grouping with materials (AC9MFN06), the start of division.
- Year 3Solving practical single-digit multiplication and division problems.
- Year 4Choosing efficient strategies for multiplication and division where there is no remainder (AC9M4N06).
- Year 5Multiplying large numbers and dividing by single-digit numbers, checking answers with estimates.
The Australian Curriculum describes division through problems and strategies rather than naming a written method, so schools bring in the formal layout at different times. Because the Year 4 description stops at division with no remainder, the no-remainder option suits Year 4, and remainders fit Year 5 and beyond.
Sharing a packet of 24 pencils among a table group, or putting 30 children into teams of 4, makes a good warm-up: the first has no remainder and the second does, and children can see what a remainder means.
Summarised in our own words from the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, Version 9.0 (ACARA).
