How do 5th graders divide fractions?
In 5th grade, kids divide only with unit fractions (fractions with 1 on top, like 1/3). They answer two kinds of questions with drawings: "How many 1/3s fit in 4?" (12) and "If 1/2 is shared by 3 people, how much does each get?" (1/6).
How you probably learned it
You probably learned "keep, change, flip": keep the first fraction, change ÷ to ×, and flip the second fraction.
How your kid is learning it
Your kid draws it. For 4 ÷ 1/3, they draw 4 bars, split each into thirds, and count 12 pieces. Keep-change-flip usually waits until 6th grade, after kids understand what dividing by a fraction means.
Two kinds of problems
How many fit? (whole number ÷ unit fraction)
2 ÷ 1/5 asks how many fifths are in 2 wholes. Each whole has 5 fifths, so 2 wholes have 10. The answer is bigger than 2, which surprises many kids (and parents).
Share it (unit fraction ÷ whole number)
1/2 ÷ 3 asks how big each share is when half of something is split 3 ways. Split the half into 3 equal pieces: each one is 1/6 of the whole.
