How to teach long division

Long division repeats one cycle: Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring down. You divide into the current digits, multiply the answer back, subtract to find what is left, then bring down the next digit and repeat. Some teachers use the phrase 'Does McDonald's Sell Burgers?' to remember the order.

Short division and the relevant times tables should be fluent first, because long division simply repeats them in a written layout. If table recall is slow or short division is shaky, each 'divide' step becomes hard, so secure those foundations before starting long division.

Long division is usually introduced in Grade 4 and practised through Grade 6, once short division and the times tables are secure. Dividing exactly comes first, then remainders, and finally carrying the division into decimal places for a more precise answer.

The most common slip is skipping a step in the cycle, usually forgetting to bring the next digit down. Misaligning columns lets place value drift, and weak times-table recall makes each divide step slow or wrong. Naming the four steps aloud and keeping columns neat fixes most errors.

A remainder can be left as a whole number, written as a fraction over the divisor, or turned into a decimal by adding a decimal point and zeros and continuing the division. Which form to use depends on the question, so teach the plain whole-number remainder first.

Short division carries the remainder in your head between columns and is used for small, single-digit divisors. Long division writes every step down, the multiply and the subtract, and suits larger divisors where you cannot hold the numbers mentally. Long division is just short division fully written out.

Teach the four steps by name and work strictly left to right, one answer digit at a time, keeping columns lined up by place value. Model writing the answer on top, the product underneath, then the subtraction, then bringing down. Start with divisors that divide exactly before adding remainders.