Lesson 4
Interpret Division Expressions
Lesson Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is for students to interpret division expressions and understand that the same division expression can be used to represent both types of division situations.
Lesson Narrative
Students first match a division expression to a situation that it could represent. Then, students learn that the same division expression can match both “how many groups?” and “how many in each group?” problems depending on how the divisor, the number we are dividing by, is interpreted. Students then have a chance to match drawings and expressions to situations before they write their own division expressions in a subsequent lesson.
- Representation
- MLR2
Activity 3: Stacks of Blocks
Learning Goals
Teacher Facing
- Interpret division expressions.
- Understand that the same division expression can be used to represent both types of division situations.
Student Facing
- Let’s make sense of division expressions.
Required Preparation
Lesson Timeline
| Warm-up | 10 min |
| Activity 1 | 10 min |
| Activity 2 | 10 min |
| Activity 3 | 15 min |
| Lesson Synthesis | 10 min |
| Cool-down | 5 min |
Teacher Reflection Questions
What aspects of today’s lesson allowed each of your students to see themselves as productive mathematical reasoners?
Suggested Centers
- Capture Squares (1–3), Stage 6: Multiply with 1–5 (Supporting)
- Five in a Row: Multiplication (3–5), Stage 2: Factors 1–9 (Supporting)