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Year 4

Use the divisibility rules to find multiples of 3

I know the divisibility rule for multiples of 3 and can use it with 3- and 4-digit numbers.

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New
New
Year 4

Use the divisibility rules to find multiples of 3

I know the divisibility rule for multiples of 3 and can use it with 3- and 4-digit numbers.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Numbers that can be divided by 3 and leave no remainder are divisible by 3
  2. To find the digit sum of a number, add the digits in the number together so the digit sum of 17 is 1 + 7 which equals 8
  3. For a number to be divisible by three, the dgit sum of the number must be a divisible by 3

Keywords

  • Digit sum - The sum of the digits of a number is called its digit sum.

  • Divisible / Divisibility - Divisibility is when division of a number results in another whole number. A number is divisible by another if it can be shared exactly with no remainder.

  • Multiple - A multiple is the result of multiplying a number by another whole number.

Common misconception

Lack of understanding of key terms such as: 'digit,' 'number.'

Explain clearly the difference between the two key terms and encourage children to test the divisibility rule on both 3 digit and 4 digit numbers.


To help you plan your year 4 maths lesson on: Use the divisibility rules to find multiples of 3, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage children to test the divisibility rule starting with 2 digit numbers then moving on to 3 and 4 digit numbers. By this point fluency in 3 times tables will support children in solving these problems. Continue to chorally rehearse the 3 times tables.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What single number fits into this gap to make this correct? 15 ÷ 3 = ___
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 5
4
3
Q2.
Order the multiples of 3 from the highest to lowest.
1 - 36
2 - 30
3 - 27
4 - 21
5 - 18
Q3.
Identify the multiples of 3
Correct answer: 6
8
Correct answer: 9
14
Correct answer: 15
Q4.
Match the expressions to the products.
Correct Answer:3 × 6,18
tick

18

Correct Answer:3 × 7,21
tick

21

Correct Answer:3 × 9,27
tick

27

Correct Answer:3 × 5,15
tick

15

Correct Answer:3 × 8,24
tick

24

Q5.
Andeep has 36 guinea cards and shares them between 3 friends. How many cards does each friend get?
Correct Answer: 12
Q6.
A bakery has baked 270 cupcakes. They are packed into boxes of 3 Which calculations will help to solve this problem?
Correct answer: 27 tens ÷ 3
Correct answer: 3 × 9 tens
90 + 90 − 90
270 − 3

6 Questions

Q1.
Select the multiples of 3
Correct answer: 36
Correct answer: 39
Correct answer: 42
46
49
Q2.
What is the digit sum for 249?
Correct Answer: 15
Q3.
Match the numbers to their digit sum.
Correct Answer:421,7
tick

7

Correct Answer:2,306,11
tick

11

Correct Answer:876,21
tick

21

Correct Answer:3,511,10
tick

10

Q4.
Is 3,021 a multiple of 3?
Correct answer: Yes
No
Q5.
Is 6,413 a multiple of 3?
Yes
Correct answer: No
Q6.
Is 432 a multiple of 3?
Correct answer: Yes
No