Interpreting the Remainder

The remainder is the amount left over after division.

Example: 19 cannot be divided exactly by 5.
The closest you can get without going over is 3 x 5 = 15, which is 4 less than 19.
So 4 is the remainder

So the answer of 19 ÷ 5 is 3 with a remainder of 4, usually written "3 R 4".



There are four ways your kiddo has learned to interpret the remainder. They are drop it, add it, share it, and use it.

The way you interpret the remainder has to do with what the word problem is asking. Homework this week will have your kiddos solving word problems with division and interpreting the remainders. They need to tell what they did with the remainder (drop it, add it, share it, or use it) and explain their logic behind their choice. Please let me know if you have any questions!