OT: Need HELP with long division!

[tbarr12]

My ds (10) just can't get long division. I use Rod and Staff, he is currently in the 4th book. He has a slow processing speed, and it has caused him troubles in math all along, but we are positively stuck on long division. He just can't get it, and there are tears everyday. I am not looking to switch curriculum right now - I am meeting with the school district in a few weeks to find out about getting some testing done, and hopefully some guidance on whether there might be a better curriculum for him.

Can anyone suggest any kind of a supplemental resource to help him understand it better? I just can't seem to find the right words that will "click" for him. I sense that manipulatives might help, but don't know how to effectively use them. Thanks.

[doubleportion]

Does he know his multiplication facts well? My dd struggled in long division until she really had a very firm grasp on her multiplication facts. They have drill sheets that I have printed out for free from online to help supplement what we do in Singapore Math.

Edie

[water2wine]

I am going to suggest my best friend for teaching log division and multiplication. It is simple but it really works. Colored chalk and a chalk board. When you right out a problem change the color for each step and draw an arrow pointing down when you bring down the next number so they can see it. You can coordinate the steps to the numbers you are dividing into if that makes sense. This really helps them to see how it works. Did this with all my kids it is like magic.

Oh one more thing is to make sure they really know their division facts. That can be a hindrance as well.

[tbarr12]

Yes, my son knows his multiplication and division facts, although because of his slow processing speed it can take him a little longer to get them from his brain to his mouth or fingers. But he knows them. The colored chalk idea is good - and cheap! I'll get some tonight and definitely give that a try. We'll see if that helps. Thanks, and any other ideas are appreciated.

[water2wine]

The colored chalk idea is good - and cheap! I'll get some tonight and definitely give that a try. We'll see if that helps. Thanks, and any other ideas are appreciated.

You can do it a lot of ways. You can do it by are you multiplying, dividing or subtracting in the long division or by what comes next and where do the numbers go. I have done both. It really helps.

[pjdobro]

Some manipulatives that we used here that were helpful in demonstrating what was happening in long division were base 10 blocks. I have the kind that snap apart. So I have one blocks that link together to makes tens (or more), ten sticks that snap together and make hundreds (or more), hundred flat squares that snap together to make a 1000 cube (or more). I was able to start with a problem like 363 and divide it by 3. We would start with the 3 hundred squares, 6 ten sticks, and 3 one blocks representing 363. We would then divide this into 3 piles. First taking apart the hundred squares, then the ten sticks, and then the one blocks. I started with simple problems that we could take apart without tearing apart the hundred squares or ten sticks, but eventually we worked up to a more difficult problem where we would have to break apart a hundred square so we would replace the hundred square with 10 sticks stuck together to make the square so we could break it apart. I started by just using the manipulatives and got them dividing them into piles. Then I added to that the writing part showing what we were doing on a white board. So I would write out the problem in long division form and show we were first dividing the hundreds into 3 parts, then the tens into 3 parts, and lastly the ones into 3 parts. Taking it step by step and using the manipulatives to see and feel how it was done really helped my dd. I'm not for sure if I am explaining it well enough, but I hope it might help a bit.

[Mom2Monkeys]

Search YouTube! Specifically for videos by math mammoth (Maria miller) and Khan Academy. There's also supplemental books by Singapore you could use to help, but for a topical help, and since you don't want to switch to SM at this time, I'd look at math mammoth's topical book on division. That'll give you a taste of singapore's methods and allow you a chance to see if he'd benefit from switching to Singapore math, and for only a couple bucks.

[lmercon]

Here is a response of mine that I copied and pasted from another forum to this one. I hope it helps a little.

But, as a former fourth grade ps teacher, I do know that long division is a difficult concept for many. It was the "math doozy" of the year! Here is a simple memory device that I used with my students.

Does ---- Divide

McDonald's ------- Multiply

Sell -----------Subtract

Cheeseburgers ------- Check (This is a mental step where they
makes sure difference is less than the
divisor.)

Rare? --------------- Repeat the steps or write the Remainder

In addition, I always insisted that my students draw arrows from the digit they were bringing down to the place where it was to be written to help them realize which digit was to come down and where it was to be put. Also, I always made them create a new bracket, using the line that was drawn under the subtraction problem, and rewrite the divisor outside that line so that they realized that they were to begin the process again with dividing. It's a little hard to explain in words. I hope that makes sense. These things REALLY helped my students pick up long division rather quickly and painlessly. If you child is making errors because numbers are not staying lined up, you can use graph paper. That helps keep the numbers in their proper place.

[netpea]

In addition, I always insisted that my students draw arrows from the digit they were bringing down to the place where it was to be written to help them realize which digit was to come down and where it was to be put.

I did this with my son to help him remember where to put the numbers. It really helps.

[tbarr12]

I really appreciate all these suggestions. I'm going to try the acrostic explained above, because even though he can get all the steps for the 1st number he divides, he seems to forget to do the exact same steps for subsequent numbers. Today went a little better. I can see we're just going to have to keep plugging away until he gets it. I did several problems from his assignment with him before sending him off on his own. I will also look at Math Mammoth. Not ready to switch curricula at this time. I've switched so many times with him that I'm not buying another curriculum until I get some professional guidance (i.e., from the special ed dept. in the school district) as to what he needs.

Thanks so much again!

[Mom2Monkeys]

Does he get what each step is doing? WHY he is subtracting and multiplying within a division problem? Make sure you break the number down like 525 divided by 5 is 5 hundreds, 2 tens, and 5 ones.
So give him 5 hundred flats or counting disks or whatever you have rhat can represent a hundred. How many times will 5 go into 5? Once. So write one at top above the 5 and that one stands for 100. It's 1 hundred flat times 5 is 5 hundred flats. We worked that out donkeys take it away. 525 minus 5 (put in the hundreds bc that's the place value it represents) leaves us with 0. Bring down the tens. And so on. Really deeply study exactly what each step means. What it's doing. What each number really is. The math mammoth YouTube video should help that and the topical book on division will too. (as will Singapore if you decide to go that route) Sometimes understanding is the key to remembering the rote memory of steps.

[Mom2Monkeys]

Oh my! Auto correct was funny on that one. Sorry! On my phone! "donkeys" stands out...that should read "now let's". Any other confusion just let me know. Lol. Crazy phone.

[pjdobro]

Oh my! Auto correct was funny on that one. Sorry! On my phone! "donkeys" stands out...that should read "now let's". Any other confusion just let me know. Lol. Crazy phone.

I thought you pretended that it was donkeys that took away that number to make it more fun. I was thinking, "How creative!"