Decimals and Percentages - Understanding Thousandths - Presentation

The lesson on understanding thousandths is an essential part of the Year 5 curriculum, delving into the finer points of decimals and percentages. Students are encouraged to think about the decimal number system and to consider the value of thousandths in relation to hundredths and tenths. Through a series of activities, they use Base 10 blocks to construct and deconstruct decimal numbers, such as building 2 wholes, 1 tenth, 5 hundredths, and 6 thousandths. This visual and tactile approach helps to cement their understanding of how decimals are structured and the relative values of each place.

Further activities involve using place value counters to explore the concept of thousandths in more depth. Students are tasked with determining how many thousandths make up a tenth and a hundredth, with the answers being 100 and 10 respectively. They also practice converting decimals to fractions and vice versa, helping to develop their reasoning skills. For instance, they learn that 0.1 is equal to 1/10, and 0.01 is equal to 1/100, and so on. The lesson concludes with independent work where students must complete tables representing decimals in various forms, including as an expanded decimal and in words, reinforcing their grasp of the relationship between tenths, hundredths, and thousandths in the decimal system.