The long division steps
- Divide. How many times does the divisor go into this part?
- Multiply. Write the product under it.
- Subtract. Find what is left.
- Bring down. Bring down the next digit and start again.
More practice
Division facts come first: the times tables worksheets include division facts. For multiplying big numbers, see long multiplication.Irish curriculum links
- 3rd–4th ClassStage 3 Sets and operations: children use all four operations and how they relate. Division is met as sharing into equal groups and as repeated subtraction.
- 5th–6th ClassStage 4 builds on a range of operation strategies, with estimation and rounding to check that answers to longer calculations make sense.
- InverseThe toolkit stresses that multiplication and division undo each other, so checking a quotient by multiplying is part of the concept.
The Stage 4 learning outcome talks about a range of operation strategies rather than one set method, so the layout here is one option among several. Children who can explain why each step works, not just follow it, are showing the understanding the curriculum is after.
Remainders lead into fractions and decimals in 5th and 6th Class. Ask what a remainder means in a real story: share €27 among 4 children and each gets €6, with €3 left over, which becomes 75c each.
Summarised in our own words from the Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and the NCCA Mathematics Toolkit.
