Max Maths, Year 6, Work Book, Mental methods for calculation with decimals

The Max Maths workbook for Year 6 includes a section dedicated to enhancing students' mental arithmetic skills, specifically focused on calculations involving decimals. Practice 2 is divided into three main exercises, each designed to strengthen different aspects of decimal computation. In the first exercise, students are prompted to add pairs of decimals mentally. This task includes a variety of combinations, ranging from simple one decimal place additions to more challenging sums involving two decimal places. Examples include straightforward sums such as 4.5 + 1.3 and more intricate additions like 0.25 + 0.31, all intended to be solved without the aid of a calculator or pen and paper.

The second exercise shifts the focus to subtraction, where students are again encouraged to perform calculations mentally. This set of problems tests their ability to subtract decimals with one or two decimal places, such as 4.6 – 3.2 and 0.57 – 0.23. The third and final exercise delves into multiplication and division by powers of 10. Students must mentally calculate the results of multiplying decimals by 10, 100, or 1,000, as well as dividing whole numbers and decimals by these same powers. This includes tasks like multiplying 5.5 by 10 and dividing 699 by 10. The workbook is designed to not only improve mental calculation speed and accuracy but also to deepen the understanding of place value and the effects of multiplying and dividing by powers of 10 on decimal numbers.