Mathematics 5 curriculum guide 2015 I table of contents acknowledgements

Suggested Resources
• division mat
• math tiles
• Resource Link: https://www.
k12pl.nl.ca/curr/k-6/math/
grade-5/links/unit9
-enrichment activities
-Kidspiration®
-Division for Kids
To activate prior knowledge and connect multiplication 
and division facts, ask students to give the related division 
facts from flash cards showing different multiplication facts
up to 9 × 9.

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MATHEMATICS 5 CURRICULUM GUIDE 2015
Specific Outcomes
DIVISION 
Suggestions for Teaching and Learning
Students will be expected to:
Number
5N3 Continued...
Achievement Indicators:
5N3.4 Explain why division by 0 
is not possible or undefined.
“You cannot divide by 0,” is a principle of division which may be difficult 
to explain. The repeated subtraction model may be a useful tool. For 
example, 20 ÷ 5 = 4 because 20 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 = 0. However 5 ÷ 0 is 
undefined because no matter how many times 0 is subtracted from 5, you 
will never reach 0; i.e., 5 – 0 – 0 – 0 – … = 5, not 0.
Students should understand that you cannot share items among 0 people.
Ask them how they could share nine playing cards between 0 people.
They should realize that this cannot be done because there is no one to 
even try to give cards to.
Students are encouraged to check their answer by multiplying the 
quotient and the divisor. If the product obtained is the dividend, the 
answer is correct. To check 36 ÷ 9 = 4, for example, students should 
multiply 4 × 9. Since this results in 36, they know that their answer 
is correct. However, if they try checking their division with a related
multiplication fact, there is no number that can be multiplied by zero that 
will result in six. 
A common error occurs when students conclude that division by zero 
results in a quotient of zero. Continued exposure to division facts 
involving zero should help students realize that 8 ÷ 0 is not possible but
0 ÷ 8 = 0 is possible.

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