Before pressing play, ask students to name the two known quantities and predict the unknown. Then connect each moving counter to the equation.
1Multiply: build the total
Use “4 groups of 3” alongside “4 × 3.” Students see the number of groups and the size of each group combine to make the total. Ask: “What stays the same in every group?”
2Share equally: find the size
This is partitive division. The total and number of groups are known. Counters are dealt around the groups, one per group per round, so no group is completed early. Ask: “How many does each group get, and how do you know?”
3How many groups: find the number of groups
This is measurement (quotative) division. The total and group size are known. Each group is filled to the required size before the next begins. Ask: “How many groups of this size fit inside the total?”
4Check conservation and fairness
Every visual counter has exactly one identity and one location: bank, moving, or a group. Pause mid-deal and count all counters. At the end, verify that all groups are equal and the bank is empty.
5About leftovers
This version intentionally offers only divisible totals and compatible known factors. There are no hidden counters and no forced equal shares; the leftover count is always 0. For remainder work, use a separate model that gives leftovers their own visible space.
CCSS alignment: 3.OA.A.1 — interpret products as total objects in equal groups; 3.OA.A.2 — interpret whole-number quotients as either the number in each share or the number of shares; 3.OA.A.3 — use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems involving equal groups. After each model, ask students to tell or write a matching word problem.
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