Year 6 - Maths
Explain how the distributive law applies to division expressions with a common divisor
Order of operations
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will explore what happens when we combine addition and subtraction with multiplication and division, bringing up the need for the order of operations.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how the distributive law can help to solve division problems more efficiently, and write equations that show this.
Key Notes
- 5 divided by ___ minus 3 divided by ___ is equal to 2 divided by ___
- Where there is a common divisor, the dividends can be subtracted and the difference divided by the divisor.
- The distributive law can be very useful for solving problems where there is a common divisor.
- You can use brackets in an equation to show that you have used the distributive law.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Distributive law: The distributive law says that multiplying a number by a group of numbers added together is the same as doing each multiplication separately.
- Divisor: The divisor is what we are dividing by.
- Dividend: The dividend is the amount we are dividing.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- When writing the subtraction expression within the equation, children may write the parts to be divided in the order they appear in the problem, rather than putting the greatest one first.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Solve this in steps: explain the method from this lesson and why each step matters.
5 divided by ___ minus 3 divided by ___ is equal to 2 divided by ___. Where there is a common divisor, the dividends can be subtracted and the difference divided by the divisor.
2. Use this key word in a maths sentence and explain it clearly. 'Distributive law'
The distributive law says that multiplying a number by a group of numbers added together is the same as doing each multiplication separately. Use this word when showing your method, then check your final answer is reasonable.
3. Spot and fix this common maths mistake.
Mistake: When writing the subtraction expression within the equation, children may write the parts to be divided in the order they appear in the problem, rather than putting the greatest one first. Correction: Explore where the parts to be divided need to be written in a different order to how they appear in the problem. Compare this with addition and explore commutativity so that children can see how addition is commutative but subtraction is not.
More Lessons In This Unit
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