How to explain 4/34 (34 divided by 4) to a 4th grader?

Answer 1

4/34 is not 34 divided by 4.

It's 4 divided by 34.

One way to explain it is with the example of 4 large pizzas to be shared equally among 34 people. That gets messy, though, since it would be nearly impossible to divide 4 pizzas evenly with exactly 34 pieces.

If the fraction is 34/4, the concept would be easier to explain. You could have 34 pizzas divided among 4 classes. 34/4 = 8 1/2 pizzas for each class.