Dividing by 2 is the same as finding half of a quantity.
Students in Grade 2 (US), Year 2 (UK) or Year 3 (Australia) are expected to learn number facts for “simple” multipliers: generally 2, 3, 5 and 10.
Learning these facts will be easier if students have a good knowledge of the 2x multiplication facts.
Halving a number up to 20 or 24 is not difficult, especially if students have learned their 2x multiplication facts. Use 2 or 3 ten frames to represent each number, with the number shown as even pairs of counters. If you like, use two different counters to highlight half of the total.
At every step, invite students to think about the amounts that are represented, and to find ways that make finding the answer easier.
For example, finding half of 12 with a pair of ten frames may help the child to see that 12 is made up of a full ten plus one more pair, and that half of those two amounts is five and one extra, or six.
