Thank you for purchasing my GCF and LCM Foldable! I hope your students find
it as enjoyable, engaging, thought-provoking and fun as mine did!
This is a great flippable/foldable for any interactive math journal. As easy as GCF and LCM are, students
struggle with remembering the differences and when to find each. This foldable will simplify the process
and ensure that they are LCM and GCF professionals in no time at all. This great foldable will give them
detailed steps to remember for how to find the GCF and how to find the LCM. It will also give them the
opportunity to discuss situations when they would use each one. Finally, they have a change to practice
finding each. It has everything they could possibly need to never mistake the GCF and LCM again!
Pages 1-2: includes color photographs of the finished foldable in case there are confusions about how to
fold it or what it should look like when it is finished.
Pages 3: Serves as the answer key. Everything that is highlighted or written in red is something that
students should include in their notes during your lesson.
Pages 4-5: serve as copy masters for the students. Copy pages 5-6 back to back. Then, lay the paper with
the 8 rectangles facing you. Grab each side and fold to the middle like two doors. Finally, cut between the
four large rectangles on the front to create four flaps.
Enjoy seeing students confidently find and explain the GCF and LCM!
Sincerely,
Aleisha Boehm
Be sure to check out the rest of the foldables and flippables in my store!
The
Outside
The
Inside
G:Greatest_______
The highest number
C:Common_______
That is the same
F:Factor________
Numbers that multiply together
It’s important to know the GCF
when simplifying ratios or
fractions, or dividing
something.
Steps to find the GCF:
1. Set up two tall Ts.
2. List ALL factors of both
numbers.
3. If you are unsure in a number
can be a factor, then divide by
that number. If there is a
remainder, it is NOT a factor.
4. Find the greatest factor the
two numbers have in common.
5. Circle the GCF (greatest common
factor.).
Example Word Problems:
Miguel wants to create party favors to give to his
friends at his birthday party. He has 20
temporary tattoos and 16 pieces of candy. If each
party bag is going to be identical, and Miguel
doesn’t want anything left over, what is the
greatest number of party bags he can make?
Why is this a GCF problem? Because he wants to
find the greatest number and he will have to
divide the stuff into the party bags.
Francisco baked 28 cookies and 36 brownies to
package and give away to his teachers at school.
If he wants all of the teachers to receive the same
number of cookies and brownies, and doesn’t want
any left over, how many plates can he make?
Why is this a GCF problem? Because he doesn’t
want to leave anything out; he is dividing.
Sample Problem :
Find the GCF of 24 and 36.
24
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
6
L:Least________
Boxes that are 18 inches tall are being stacked
next to boxes that are 24 inches tall. What is
the shortest height at which the two stacks
will be the same height?
M:Multiple_______
Why is this a LCM problem? Because you are
making copies or repeated groups of the boxes,
which is multiplication.
36
18
12
9
6
12
18
12
18
24
36
36
54
48
72
The lowest number
C:Common_______
That is the same
Products or Count-bys
It’s important to know the
LCM when making copies for
multiplication, common denominators,
equivalent fractions or ratios.
Steps to find the LCM:
Sample Problem:
Find the LCM of 12 and 18.
36
24
12
8
6
Example Word Problems:
Hot dogs come in packages of 10 and buns come
in packages of 8. Julio wants to purchase the
smallest number of hot dogs and buns so that
he has exactly one bun per hot dog. How many
packages of each will he have to buy?
Why is this a LCM problem? He is buying copies
or groups of things. It is repeated addition,
which is multiplication.
60
90
1. Set up a bus (or sideways T to
drive.
2. List at least five multiples for
each number to start with.
3. Look for a common multiple
4. If there is NOT a common
multiples keep listing multiples
until you find one.
5. Circle the LCM (least common
multiple). Make sure that it is
the lowest number the two
numbers have in common.
G: ___________
C:____________
F:____________
It’s important to know the GCF
when ______________
__________________
Steps to find the GCF:
1. Set up ____ _____
_____.
2. List ______ ______ of
both numbers.
3. If you are unsure in a number
can be a ______, then
________ by that number.
If there is a _______, it is
____ a _______.
4. Find the ______
________ the two numbers
have in common.
5. Circle the
_____________.
Example Word Problems:
Example Word Problems:
Miguel wants to create party favors to give to his
friends at his birthday party. He has 20
temporary tattoos and 16 pieces of candy. If each
party bag is going to be identical, and Miguel
doesn’t want anything left over, what is the
greatest number of party bags he can make?
Hot dogs come in packages of 10 and buns
come in packages of 8. Julio wants to
purchase the smallest number of hot dogs and
buns so that he has exactly one bun per hot
dog. How many packages of each will he have
to buy?
Why is this a GCF problem? ____________
Francisco baked 28 cookies and 36 brownies to
package and give away to his teachers at school.
If he wants all of the teachers to receive the same
number of cookies and brownies, and doesn’t want
any left over, how many plates can he make?
Why is this a GCF problem? ____________
Sample Problem :
Find the GCF of 24 and 36.
Why is this a LCM problem? __________
Boxes that are 18 inches tall are being stacked
next to boxes that are 24 inches tall. What is
the shortest height at which the two stacks
will be the same height?
Why is this a LCM problem? __________
Sample Problem:
Find the LCM of 12 and 18.
L: ___________
C:____________
M:___________
It’s important to know the
LCM when ____________
__________________
Steps to find the LCM:
1. Set up a ______ (or
________ ____) to drive.
2. List at least _______
________ for each number
to start with.
3. Look for a _____ _______.
4. If there is _______ a
______ ______ keep
listing __________ until
you find one.
5. Circle the __________.
Make sure that it is the
________ number the two
numbers have in common.
What is
the
LCM?
What is
the
GCF?
How do I
find the
LCM?
How do I
find the
GCF?