Decimals - Rounding Decimals Activity - Planning

In a mathematics lesson tailored for Year 4 students during their summer term, the focus is on rounding decimal numbers, specifically looking at tenths. The lesson begins by revisiting prior knowledge with a starter activity that prompts children to recall previous lessons. The class teaching input introduces the concept of rounding decimals with the aid of a number line, highlighting the importance of understanding intervals and estimating positions of whole numbers. The lesson then progresses to Activity 1, where children use a number line ranging from 0 to 100 to discuss the positioning of numbers, learning to better estimate their placement by identifying tens and ones. They are also taught to recognise halfway points between numbers, understanding that numbers ending in five are equidistant from the two surrounding tens, and thus not closer to either.

Subsequent activities build on this foundation. Activity 2 challenges students to estimate tenths on a number line with one-unit intervals, reinforcing the concept of halfway marks. In Activity 3, children create decimal numbers using digit cards and then estimate their positions on a number line from 0 to 10. Activity 4 asks them to identify the integers on either side of these decimal numbers using the number line. The final Activity 5 involves rounding decimal numbers by determining which integer they are closest to, utilising the number line and halfway points. Throughout the lesson, key questions encourage critical thinking, and the plenary addresses common misconceptions, such as the tendency to rely on visual cues rather than mathematical reasoning. The lesson concludes with a reflective 'Give me five' exercise, prompting children to consider what they have learned, the skills they have used, and those they found challenging, as well as what they will remember from the day's activities.