Introducing decimals to fourth-grade students can be an exciting yet challenging task. It’s important to lay a strong foundation by linking decimals to familiar fractions. In this blog post, I’m sharing my favorite approach to help students grasp the concept of decimals through the lens of one-tenth and one-hundredth and viewing fractions as decimals. By using these visual aids and hands-on activities students start on the right path for developing a deeper understanding of decimals that will serve them well this school year and for many to come.
Step 1: Lead a Whole Group Lesson
Introduce Fractions as Decimals with Visual Models:
To begin, tell your students that they will be looking closely at two special denominators of fractions that can also be written as “decimals”. Write 1/10 and 1/100 on the board while making sure that the writing is visible to all students in the classroom. Next, post an empty ten frame and ask students how many of the ten bars they would color to represent 1/10. Most students will answer 1, so color in one bar out of the ten. Afterward, demonstrate how to write that as 0.1 and discuss other tenths with the students. This is the first step to introducing decimals in the most straightforward and engaging way.
Engaging with Tenths and Hundredths:
In the next step, you can include mixed number tenths, such as 1 3/10, which is the same as 13/10 and 1.3. Replicate the demonstrations using hundredths fractions and decimals using a blank hundredth chart. Make sure that the students are following the examples and draw their attention to the similarities between the tenths and hundredths. You can do this by asking questions such as “Are there any similarities that you see between tenths and hundredths?” This helps prompt student participation and keeps them engaged during the learning process. Transition to one-hundredths fractions and decimals using blank hundredths charts. Repeat the process, emphasizing the relationship between fractions like 1/100 and their decimal representation, 0.01.
Hands-On Learning:
Another engaging activity that can help students understand decimals is to let each group of students color one tenth frame and one hundredth frame with fractions/decimals of their choice. Ask each group to share their models with the whole class. This helps students learn from each other and see the different ways decimals can be represented. It also helps you gain valuable feedback on how well students understand the relationship between fractions and decimals.
Step 2: Practice fractions as decimals with a peer practice activity
The next step is to give students some opportunity to practice fractions as decimals with classmates in a no-pressure and interactive environment. I use this set of visual model matching cards and distribute one card to each student. While I play music, students mingle about the room trading cards with classmates as they travel. When the music stops, students stop and look at the card they are holding and then find a classmate with a card of the same value, matching the visual model with the standard decimal form.
Step 3: Practice fractions as decimals with math stations
After we’ve had time to practice fractions as decimals together and the students have gained confidence, we break into small groups and rotate through math station work time.
Station 1:Interactive Notebooks
Have students create a decimal flaps notebook entry like below. Have students cut out the title and 4 flap pieces. The students put glue only under the top edge of each flap to glue them into notebooks so that they are able to write underneath each flap. On the front of each flap, students color the grid to represent the word-form fraction/decimal. Under each flap, the students should record the number in both fraction form and decimal form.
Station 2: Partner Games
The game we play to practice fractions as decimals is called Fill the Card. I pair students up and give each pair a game board and a recording sheet for each player in the group. I also remind them of my expectations for math games. You can download your own copy of these math games behavior expectations.
Materials:
- partner
- recording sheet
- pencil
- two 0-9 dice
Directions:
- On your turn, roll two dice and use those numbers to create a hundredths decimal.
- Record the decimal by coloring the hundredths grid that describes your decimal.
- Choose the order of your digits carefully, because if there isn’t a grid available to match your decimal, you lose your turn.
To Win:
- The player who fills all ten grids first wins the game.
Station 3: Paper and Pencil Practice
Use your textbook assignment or the worksheet in this lesson to give students a chance to show you what they’ve learned about fractions as decimals and provide you with a quick assessment of their understanding.
You can grab all these activities in this lesson on fractions as decimals in my TPT store or grab the whole decimals unit on TPT or in my webstore. Happy teaching!