Place value - Rounding to 10, 100 or 1,000 - Planning

In the initial week of the Autumn term, Year 5 students delve into the concept of rounding whole numbers up to 10,000 to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000. The lesson employs a variety of resources, including worksheets and a presentation, to facilitate learning. Key vocabulary such as 'rounding', 'approximate', 'digit', and 'place value column' are introduced, with additional support available through vocabulary cards and definitions on the accompanying website. The class begins with a warm-up activity where students answer questions to revisit what they've learned previously. The main class teaching input involves a hands-on activity where students round numbers represented in various forms, focusing on the rules of rounding. They are taught to look at the digit to the right of the place value they are rounding to, rounding up if that digit is 5 or more.

Further exploration of rounding rules is encouraged through partner discussions and additional practice with numbers in digit form. Students consider the smallest and largest possible numbers before rounding to the nearest 100, and they are prompted to find examples where numbers rounded to the nearest 100 and 1,000, or the nearest 10 and 100, yield the same results. In group work, students complete reasoning exercises from teaching slides and engage in independent activities designed to differentiate fluency and reasoning skills. The lesson concludes with a plenary that challenges students to consider the implications of rounding on place value and the potential for crossing boundaries when exchanging digits. Throughout the lesson, students are encouraged to reflect on their learning, the skills they have employed, and any difficulties they have encountered, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of rounding to various degrees of precision.