Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
Mixed Number Speed Dash
Race between frozen research stations by adding and subtracting mixed numbers against a friendly timer, for ages 8 to 10.
5 levels+40 XP
ProgressNot started
5 levels · BeginnerPlay
Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
All Smart Starters gamesChunking Division Quarry
Divide by taking away chunks of the divisor, then count how many chunks there were. For ages 8 to 10.
SimulationChunking division by repeated subtraction~11 min per level5 levelsAll devices
- Free · no account required
- COPPA compliant
- +10 XP per level
- 5 levels
- Plays on all devices
- Curriculum-aligned
The learning journey
Every activity is one step. Here is where this one fits.
- Play(you are here)Learn the idea in a game
- PractiseLock it in on paper
- ReviewCome back and keep it sharp
- MasterTake on a harder challenge
- AchieveEarn a certificate
About Chunking Division Quarry
Chunking Division Quarry divides by repeated subtraction in useful sized pieces. To divide ninety-one by seven, take away ten sevens to leave twenty-one, then three more sevens to leave nothing, and the answer is the ten and the three added together. The method sits between sharing objects out one at a time and the compact short division method, and its real virtue is that the child chooses the chunks. A pupil who is confident only with their ten times table can still divide ninety-one by seven; they simply take more steps than a pupil who sees thirteen sevens immediately. Nobody is locked out for not knowing a fact, and the arithmetic stays honest rather than being replaced by a procedure they cannot check. Chunking is the term used in English schools, where it appeared in the national strategies and remains what many parents were taught, which is why searches for it turn up little beyond PDFs and forum arguments. The question always asks how many lots were taken away altogether, and that is deliberate: the sum of the chunks is exactly the step children miss. Having subtracted correctly, they report the last chunk they took, or the amount left over, because both numbers are sitting right there in front of them. The wrong answers offered are those two numbers, so a child making that mistake is caught rather than accidentally landing on the right total. Divisors reach nine and the chunks grow with the level. Free, no sign-up, no advertising to children.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.
Next — more of the same skill
Printable worksheets for this skill
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Have something shareable to hand — counters, grapes, coins. Division is "share these out equally", and that is easier shown than told.
- While they work
- Encourage dealing out one-at-a-time into equal groups, like cards. It makes remainders visible and obvious.
- Afterwards
- Share something for real — biscuits between the family — and ask how many each, and how many left over.
- Watch out for
- Forgetting the groups must be EQUAL. Dealing one-at-a-time rather than grabbing handfuls keeps them even.
- Away from the screen
- Share snacks, deal cards, split a pile of coins. Any fair-sharing situation is division practice.
How to play
A question appears on screen
A maths question is shown in large text at the centre of the play area. A timer bar begins counting down from 130 seconds.
Choose the correct answer
Answer options are shown as large buttons. Tap or click the correct option. Any input method works — touch, mouse or keyboard.
Build your streak
Each consecutive correct answer increases your streak. A longer streak lights up the flame icon and adds a bonus multiplier to the XP you earn for the level.
Finish the level
Each level has 5 questions. Complete them to earn the full level reward (+10 XP, plus up to +10 XP for a perfect run). Progress is saved locally and shown on the Parent Dashboard.
Curriculum alignment
Mapped to national curriculum frameworks so teachers and parents can match practice to school standards.
- United StatesCommon Core State Standards for Mathematics · division, subtractionAligned to division, subtraction number and operations objectives.
- United KingdomNational Curriculum for England — Maths · division, subtractionAligned to division, subtraction number and operations objectives.
- AustraliaAustralian Curriculum v9.0 — Mathematics · division, subtractionAligned to division, subtraction number and operations objectives.
- CanadaPan-Canadian Provincial Standards · division, subtractionAligned to division, subtraction number and operations objectives.
Common questions from parents & teachers
Everything you need to know before your child starts playing.
- Dividing by repeatedly subtracting chunks of the divisor and adding up how many you took. Ninety-one divided by seven is ten sevens plus three sevens.
- Because nobody is locked out for not knowing a fact. A child confident only with their ten times table can still do the division, just in more steps.
- Because that is the step children miss. Having subtracted correctly, they report the last chunk or the leftover, since both are sitting there in front of them.
- It is the English term from the national strategies and is what many parents were taught, which is why it is still widely searched for even where schools now favour short division.
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