Math problem set Grade 4 Math

Dunmore Drought Delivery: Division and Leftover Barrels

A grade 4 problem set where a fictional drought town divides water among streets and trucks, finding quotients and interpreting the remainder to plan extra trips.

Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Math
Material: Math problem set
Time: 35 min
Prep: No prep
Materials: None

Standards

4.NBT.B.6 Common Core Math

Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

How this material aligns: Problems 1 through 3 and 6 through 8 find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, the exact division this standard names.

All materials for 4.NBT.B.6 →

4.OA.A.3 Common Core Math

Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

How this material aligns: Problems 4, 5, and 9 require students to interpret a remainder as an extra truck trip and to judge whether an estimate is reasonable, as this standard describes.

All materials for 4.OA.A.3 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-23.

Objectives

Students will divide up to four-digit totals by one-digit divisors and state the remainder.
Students will interpret a remainder in context to decide how many truck trips are needed.

Vocabulary

Key words: quotient, remainder, divide

Teacher overview

A drought has hit the fictional town of Dunmore, so trucks bring water to homes. This set has students share totals equally by dividing, then decide what a leftover remainder means for the next truck trip, joining the division of 4.NBT.B.6 with the remainder reasoning of 4.OA.A.3. Every problem except problem 5, which builds on problem 4, gives its own numbers so it can stand alone. A common error is to drop the remainder when the situation actually needs one more full trip; problems 4 and 5 are built to correct that.

Dunmore Drought Delivery: Division and Leftover Barrels — Grade 4 Math

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Problems

A drought has hit the town of Dunmore. Trucks bring water to homes. Share each total equally and answer the question.

96 jugs are shared by 4 streets, the same number to each. How many jugs per street?
372 jugs go to 6 blocks, the same number to each. How many jugs per block?
1,458 gallons are poured into 9 tanks, the same amount in each. How many gallons per tank?
A truck holds 8 barrels. The town must move 50 barrels. How many full truck loads is that, and how many barrels are left over?
The leftover barrels from problem 4 still must move. How many truck trips are needed in all?
245 water kits are packed 5 to a box. How many boxes are filled, and how many kits are left over?
1,000 liters are poured into 8 drums, the same amount in each. How much is in each drum, and how much is left over?
733 gallons are shared by 6 homes, the same amount to each. How many gallons per home, and how many are left over?
A helper says 733 divided by 6 is about 120. Is that a good estimate? Tell how you know.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: 24 jugs. 96 ÷ 4 = 24, with no remainder.
Answer: 62 jugs. 372 ÷ 6 = 62, with no remainder.
Answer: 162 gallons. 1,458 ÷ 9 = 162, with no remainder.
Answer: 6 full loads, 2 barrels left over. 50 ÷ 8 = 6 remainder 2, since 8 × 6 = 48 and 50 − 48 = 2.
Answer: 7 trips. The 6 full loads carry 48 barrels, and the 2 leftover barrels need one more trip, so 6 + 1 = 7 trips.
Answer: 49 boxes, 0 left over. 245 ÷ 5 = 49 with no remainder.
Answer: 125 liters, 0 left over. 1,000 ÷ 8 = 125 with no remainder.
Answer: 122 gallons, 1 left over. 733 ÷ 6 = 122 remainder 1, since 6 × 122 = 732 and 733 − 732 = 1.
Answer: Yes. 6 × 120 = 720, which is close to 733, so about 120 is a good estimate; the exact answer is 122 remainder 1.

Differentiation

Support

Give students base-ten blocks or a place-value chart to share the hundreds, tens, and ones one place at a time. Start with problems 1 and 2, which divide evenly, before the remainder problems. Provide the multiplication facts for the divisor so students can check each quotient.

Extension

Ask students to write their own delivery problem where a truck holds 8 barrels and the town must move a number of barrels that leaves a remainder of 3, then solve it and explain how many trips are needed.

ELL supports

Draw trucks and barrels so students can act out problem 4 by circling groups of 8. Provide a sentence frame: "There are ___ full loads and ___ left over, so the town needs ___ trips."