Division — Victorian Year 3 Maths
Division as sharing and as grouping, and the fact families that link every division fact to a multiplication fact students already know. Three subtopics and 60 questions, aligned to VC2M3N05 and VC2M3A03.
Division in Victorian Year 3
Division splits a total into equal groups. Year 3 students meet its two meanings, sharing and grouping, and connect every division fact to a multiplication fact they already know.
The three subtopics below cover division as sharing, division as grouping, and how multiplication and division relate in fact families. Division is one of the 18 topics in Victorian Year 3 Maths and draws on the Number and Algebra strands. It covers Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes VC2M3N05 and VC2M3A03. These skills lead on to fractions of a collection in Fractions, and to larger divisions in Year 4.
Subtopics
Division: common questions
What is the difference between sharing and grouping?
Both use the same division. In sharing you know the number of groups and find how many go in each: 32 shared among 4 friends gives 8 each. In grouping you know the size of each group and find how many groups: 32 in groups of 4 makes 8 groups. Both are written \(32 \div 4 = 8\).
How does multiplication help with division?
Every division fact has a matching multiplication fact. To work out \(42 \div 6\), think: 6 times what makes 42? Since \(6 \times 7 = 42\), the answer is 7. That is why knowing the times tables makes division much easier.
What is a fact family?
Three numbers that make four facts. With 3, 8 and 24 you can write \(3 \times 8 = 24\), \(8 \times 3 = 24\), \(24 \div 3 = 8\) and \(24 \div 8 = 3\). When the two smaller numbers are the same, as in 6, 6 and 36, there are only two facts.
How can we practise division at home?
Share out snacks, cards or building blocks fairly and talk about how many each person gets. Pack items into groups, such as eggs into cartons or socks into pairs, and count the groups. Then ask for the multiplication that checks the answer.
Which curriculum codes cover Division in Victorian Year 3?
The subtopics come under Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes VC2M3N05 (multiplying and dividing with groups, arrays and number sentences) and VC2M3A03 (recalling multiplication facts and the matching division facts).