Decimals 1

This resource consists of thirteen work cards each requiring students to investigate some aspect of the use of decimals. Associated with each card is a student help sheet and comprehensive teacher notes detailing assumed knowledge for each task, the purpose of the module and details of the work to be carried out by the student.

Section A contains three tasks each exploring how to record whole numbers, tenths and hundredths on a number line. Students are asked to estimate perimeters of shapes and then measure the lengths to one decimal place and are asked to time a friend doing three simple activities using a stopwatch and record the results.

Section B contains three tasks each requiring students to mark results on a number line. The activities vary in difficulty and require students to be able to represent whole numbers and numbers to one, two and three decimal places on a number line.

Section Ccontains two tasks exploring how times can be recorded on a number line and the accuracy to which the time needs to be recorded. This makes a useful introduction to the concept of rounding decimals.

Section D contains three tasks which consider place value and the fact that the same digits can be used to represent different numbers by altering the place of each digit by multiplying and dividing by ten.

Section E contains two tasks which consider how decimals can be placed in order of size.

The resource is part of the Nuffield Mathematics Teaching Project.