Decimals — Year 4 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Mathematics — Number: fractions (including decimals), Year 4
Overview
Pupils are introduced to decimal notation for tenths and hundredths, connecting this to their knowledge of fractions. They learn to read, write, order, and compare decimals up to two decimal places, and relate decimal and fraction notation for the same value.
Learning Objectives
- Read and write decimal numbers up to two decimal places.
- Understand that tenths and hundredths can be expressed as decimals.
- Order and compare decimals with the same number of decimal places.
- Relate decimal notation to fraction notation (e.g. 0.5 = ½).
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Use a place value chart extended to tenths. Ask: if we divide 1 into 10 equal parts, what is each part called? Write 0.1 on the chart. Ask pupils where they have seen decimal numbers before (money, measurements).
Model tenths on a number line and with base-ten blocks (a flat = 1, a rod = 0.1). Extend to hundredths: 0.01. Show the connection to fractions: 0.5 = 5/10 = ½. Demonstrate ordering decimals: compare digit by digit from left to right.
Pupils place decimals on a number line, write decimals shown by diagrams or manipulatives, and order sets of decimals.
Pupils complete a differentiated set: read and write decimals from diagrams, compare pairs of decimals using <, >, =, and match fractions to their decimal equivalents.
True or false: 0.9 > 0.15. Pupils explain: even though 15 > 9, 0.9 is bigger because the tenths digit is compared first.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils often think 0.15 > 0.9 because 15 > 9 — stress that comparison is digit by digit from left to right.
- Confusion between 1/10 and 1/100 — use visual models extensively.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Secure understanding of fractions as parts of a whole.
- Knowledge of place value for whole numbers.
- Familiarity with tenths from fraction work.
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