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Decimal Dash!

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Lesson Plan

Decimal Dash!

Students will be able to identify, represent, and compare decimals to the hundredths place, understanding their relationship to fractions and applying this knowledge to real-world scenarios like money.

Understanding decimals is crucial for everyday life, from handling money to reading measurements. This lesson helps students build a strong foundation in place value and connect decimals to fractions, making math more relatable and useful.

Audience

4th Grade Students (Individual)

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Guided instruction, hands-on activity, and independent practice.

Materials

Small whiteboard and marker, Play money (pennies, dimes, dollars), Decimal Place Value Chart, Decimal Dash Worksheet, and Decimal Dash Answer Key

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Money Connection

3 minutes

  • Teacher: "Welcome to our Decimal Dash! Today we're going to unlock the secrets of decimals. To start, let's think about money. If I have 7 dimes, how much money do I have? How would you write that?" (Allow student to respond and write on whiteboard: $0.70)
  • Teacher: "What about 3 pennies? How would you write that?" (Student: $0.03)
  • Teacher: "Excellent! We use decimals with money all the time. Today we're going to dive deeper into what these numbers mean."

Step 2

Introducing Decimals with Place Value

5 minutes

  • Display the Decimal Place Value Chart.
  • Teacher: "Just like whole numbers, decimals have place values. The first digit to the right of the decimal point is the tenths place, and the second digit is the hundredths place."
  • Teacher: "Think about our 7 dimes. That's 7 tenths of a dollar, or 0.7. Where would that go on our chart?" (Guide student to place 7 in the tenths column).
  • Teacher: "And 3 pennies? That's 3 hundredths of a dollar, or 0.03. Where would that go?" (Guide student to place 3 in the hundredths column).
  • Practice with a few more examples using the place value chart and play money: 1 dollar and 25 cents, 8 tenths, 4 hundredths. Discuss how 0.7 is greater than 0.03 and why.

Step 3

Worksheet Practice: Decimal Dash!

5 minutes

  • Teacher: "Now that we've explored decimals, it's your turn to put your knowledge into action with our Decimal Dash Worksheet."
  • Distribute the Decimal Dash Worksheet.
  • Teacher: "Work through these questions. Remember to think about place value and how decimals relate to fractions and money. I'm here to help if you get stuck!"
  • Circulate and provide individualized support, prompting the student with questions like: "How many tenths are in one whole?", "How is 0.5 similar to 1/2?", "How would you write this as a fraction?"

Step 4

Wrap-Up & Review

2 minutes

  • Review answers to the Decimal Dash Worksheet using the Decimal Dash Answer Key.
  • Teacher: "Great job today! What's one new thing you learned or one thing that became clearer about decimals today?"
  • Address any remaining questions or misconceptions.
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Slide Deck

Welcome to Decimal Dash!

Today, we're becoming decimal detectives!

Let's unlock the secrets of those tricky numbers with dots!

Welcome the student and explain the exciting goal of the lesson. Connect to prior knowledge about money.

Tenths: Like Dimes!

If you have 7 dimes, how much money do you have?

That's 7 tenths of a dollar!

We write it as 0.7



The first spot after the decimal is the tenths place.

Introduce the concept of tenths using dimes as a relatable example. Emphasize that '0.7' means 'seven tenths'.

Hundredths: Like Pennies!

If you have 3 pennies, how much money do you have?

That's 3 hundredths of a dollar!

We write it as 0.03



The second spot after the decimal is the hundredths place.

Introduce the concept of hundredths using pennies. Highlight that '0.03' means 'three hundredths'.

The Decimal Place Value Chart

DECIMAL PLACE VALUE CHART

TensOnes.TenthsHundredths
.

Where would 0.7 go? How about 0.03? What about 1.25?

Present the Decimal Place Value Chart. Guide the student to place the examples from the warm-up and previous slides into the correct columns.

Comparing Decimals: Who's Bigger?

Which is more: 0.7 or 0.03?

Think about the place values! 7 tenths is much bigger than 3 hundredths.

Just like 70 cents is more than 3 cents!

Explain how to compare decimals using the place value chart. Use a simple example like 0.7 vs 0.03.

Your Turn! Decimal Dash Worksheet

Now it's time to show what you know!

  • Complete the Decimal Dash Worksheet.
  • Remember to think about place value, fractions, and money.
  • Ask me if you have any questions!

Introduce the worksheet and explain that it's time for independent practice. Encourage the student to ask questions.

Decimal Detectives: Case Closed!

Great job on your Decimal Dash!

Review the worksheet answers and conclude the lesson by asking for a key takeaway.

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Reading

Decimal Place Value Chart

This chart helps us understand the value of each digit in a decimal number.

HundredsTensOnes.TenthsHundredths
.(1/10)(1/100)
.

How to Read It:

  • To the left of the decimal point: These are our whole numbers (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.).
  • The decimal point (.): This separates the whole numbers from the fractional parts.
  • To the right of the decimal point: These are the decimal parts.
    • The first place is the tenths place. It represents parts of a whole divided into 10 equal pieces (like dimes in a dollar!).
    • The second place is the hundredths place. It represents parts of a whole divided into 100 equal pieces (like pennies in a dollar!).

Examples:

  • 0.7 means seven tenths.
  • 0.03 means three hundredths.
  • 1.25 means one whole, two tenths, and five hundredths (or one and twenty-five hundredths).
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Worksheet

Decimal Dash Worksheet

Name: _________________________

Date: _________________________

Part 1: Identifying Place Value

For each number, identify the place value of the underlined digit.

  1. 0.72


  2. 0.51


  3. 1.34


  4. 0.08


Part 2: Writing Decimals

Write the decimal for each description.

  1. Seven tenths


  2. Twenty-five hundredths


  3. One and three tenths


  4. Nine hundredths


Part 3: Decimals and Fractions

Write each decimal as a fraction, and each fraction as a decimal.

  1. 0.4


  2. 0.67


  3. 3/10


  4. 18/100


Part 4: Real-World Decimals

  1. You have 4 dimes and 6 pennies. Write this amount as a decimal in dollars.





  2. A plant grew 0.75 inches in a week. If it grew 0.25 inches more, how much would it have grown in total?





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Answer Key

Decimal Dash Answer Key

Part 1: Identifying Place Value

For each number, identify the place value of the underlined digit.

  1. 0.72

    • Thought Process: The digit 2 is two places to the right of the decimal point. The first place is tenths, the second is hundredths.
    • Answer: Hundredths

  2. 0.51

    • Thought Process: The digit 5 is one place to the right of the decimal point. This is the tenths place.
    • Answer: Tenths

  3. 1.34

    • Thought Process: The digit 1 is to the left of the decimal point, in the ones place.
    • Answer: Ones

  4. 0.08

    • Thought Process: The digit 8 is two places to the right of the decimal point, which is the hundredths place.
    • Answer: Hundredths

Part 2: Writing Decimals

Write the decimal for each description.

  1. Seven tenths

    • Thought Process: Seven tenths means 7 out of 10 parts of a whole. In decimal form, the 7 goes in the tenths place (first digit after the decimal).
    • Answer: 0.7

  2. Twenty-five hundredths

    • Thought Process: Twenty-five hundredths means 25 out of 100 parts of a whole. In decimal form, this fills both the tenths and hundredths places (0.25).
    • Answer: 0.25

  3. One and three tenths

    • Thought Process: "One" means a whole number, so 1 goes to the left of the decimal. "Three tenths" means 3 goes in the tenths place.
    • Answer: 1.3

  4. Nine hundredths

    • Thought Process: Nine hundredths means 9 out of 100 parts of a whole. Since there are no tenths, we put a 0 in the tenths place and 9 in the hundredths place.
    • Answer: 0.09

Part 3: Decimals and Fractions

Write each decimal as a fraction, and each fraction as a decimal.

  1. 0.4

    • Thought Process: 0.4 means four tenths. As a fraction, this is 4 over 10.
    • Answer: 4/10

  2. 0.67

    • Thought Process: 0.67 means sixty-seven hundredths. As a fraction, this is 67 over 100.
    • Answer: 67/100

  3. 3/10

    • Thought Process: 3/10 means three tenths. In decimal form, the 3 goes in the tenths place.
    • Answer: 0.3

  4. 18/100

    • Thought Process: 18/100 means eighteen hundredths. In decimal form, this fills the tenths and hundredths places.
    • Answer: 0.18

Part 4: Real-World Decimals

  1. You have 4 dimes and 6 pennies. Write this amount as a decimal in dollars.

    • Thought Process: 4 dimes is 40 cents (0.40). 6 pennies is 6 cents (0.06). Adding them together: 0.40 + 0.06 = 0.46.
    • Answer: $0.46

  2. A plant grew 0.75 inches in a week. If it grew 0.25 inches more, how much would it have grown in total?

    • Thought Process: To find the total growth, add the two decimal amounts: 0.75 + 0.25. If we think of them as money, 75 cents + 25 cents = 100 cents, which is 1 dollar. So, 0.75 + 0.25 = 1.00.
    • Answer: 1.00 inch (or 1 inch)
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