How to explain 4/34 (34 divided by 4) to a 4th grader?
4/34 is not 34 divided by 4.
It's 4 divided by 34.
One way to explain it is with the example of 4 large pizzas to be shared equally among 34 people. That gets messy, though, since it would be nearly impossible to divide 4 pizzas evenly with exactly 34 pieces.
If the fraction is 34/4, the concept would be easier to explain. You could have 34 pizzas divided among 4 classes. 34/4 = 8 1/2 pizzas for each class.
To explain 34 divided by 4 (written as 34/4) to a 4th grader, you can use a visual representation to help them understand. For simplicity, you can use a group of objects like 34 blocks or candies.
First, tell the child that you have 34 objects or pieces of candy. Then, ask them how many groups of 4 can be made with those objects.
Start by separating the objects into groups of 4, arranging them side by side. You can have the child count how many groups of 4 they see.
At this point, they may notice that there are 8 complete groups of 4 with 2 objects left over. Explain that each group has 4 objects, and there are 8 groups.
To express it as a fraction, you can say that 34 divided by 4 is equal to 8 with a remainder of 2. Written as a fraction, it is 8 and 2/4, also known as 8 1/2 or 8.5 in decimal form.
To summarize:
34 objects divided into groups of 4 will have 8 full groups with 2 objects remaining. This is written as 8 and 2/4 or 8 1/2.