Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
Official wording from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (© 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers). View on thecorestandards.org
By sixth grade, students are expected to divide multi-digit whole numbers quickly and accurately using the standard long division algorithm. Earlier grades built the meaning with place value, area models and partial quotients; here the goal is fluency, so dividing something like 8,976 by 24 should feel routine.
Fluency means more than memorizing steps. Each cycle of the algorithm, divide, multiply, subtract and bring down, works because the dividend is broken up by place value. When students divide 8,976 by 24, the first step really asks how many groups of 24 fit into 89 hundreds. Students who understand that can estimate before they start, notice when a digit in the quotient should be zero, and interpret a remainder sensibly in a word problem, whether that means rounding up, dropping it, or writing it as a fraction or decimal. Sixth grade fluency here also pays off right away, because dividing decimals in 6.NS.B.3 and converting fractions to decimals in seventh grade both run on the same algorithm.
When the divisor does not go into the next partial dividend, students bring down another digit but forget to write a 0, so 2,436 ÷ 12 comes out as 23 instead of 203.
If the remainder after a step is bigger than or equal to the divisor, the quotient digit was too small. Teach students to compare every remainder with the divisor.
Writing the quotient digits in the wrong columns hides place value errors. Graph paper or lined-up columns help students keep each digit above its place.
If 130 students ride buses holding 24 each, 5 buses with a remainder of 10 means 6 buses are needed. The remainder changes the answer.
Divide 8,976 by 24 using the standard algorithm.
Answer: 8,976 ÷ 24 = 374.
Keep a short estimation step before every long division problem; it catches most misplaced or missing digits. A quick list of the first few multiples of the divisor beside the problem (24, 48, 72, 96, 120) reduces trial-and-error for two-digit divisors.
Fluency practice works best in short, frequent sets. Word problems should include remainders that must be rounded up, dropped or shared, so students practice deciding what the remainder means.
Original questions written for this standard. Choose an option or type your answer, then press Check. Every question has a worked explanation.
Answer: 42
36 into 151 goes 4 times (144), remainder 7. Bring down 2 to get 72; 36 into 72 goes 2 times. The answer is 42.
Answer: C) 203
12 into 24 is 2. 12 into 3 is 0, so write 0 and bring down 6 to make 36. 12 into 36 is 3. The quotient is 203.
Answer: 390
25 into 97 is 3 (75), remainder 22. Bring down 5: 225 ÷ 25 = 9. Bring down 0: 0 ÷ 25 = 0. The answer is 390.
Answer: A) 6
130 ÷ 24 = 5 remainder 10. Five buses leave 10 students behind, so 6 buses are needed.
Answer: 54
112 into 604 is 5 (560), remainder 44. Bring down 8 to get 448; 112 into 448 is 4. The answer is 54.
Answer: C) About 80
Round to 4,800 ÷ 60 = 80. The exact answer is about 78.6, so 80 is a good estimate.
A full lesson with slides, activities and an exit ticket on long division with multi-digit numbers, pitched to grade 6 and editable in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Make a lesson →A printable, differentiated worksheet on 6.NS.B.2 with an answer key, ready in about a minute.
Make a worksheet →Turn long division with multi-digit numbers into a quiz students answer online that marks itself, with a class summary for you.
Build a test →Yes. Earlier grades allow strategies like partial quotients, but this standard asks for fluent division using the standard algorithm.
The standard says multi-digit numbers. In practice that means dividends in the thousands or more with two- or three-digit divisors.