Interpreting the Remainder

The remainder is the amount left over after division.

Example: 19 cannot be divided exactly by 5.
The closest you can get without going over is 3 x 5 = 15, which is 4 less than 19.
So 4 is the remainder.

So the answer of 19 ÷ 5 is 3 with a remainder of 4, usually written "3 r 4".



There are four ways your kiddo has learned to interpret the remainder. They are drop it, add it, share it, and use it.



The way you interpret the remainder has to do with what the word problem is asking. 

Here are some videos with some real world examples of interpreting the remainder:

Interpreting Remainders Part 1

Interpreting Remainders Part 2

Interpreting Remainders Part 3