Decimal - Divide by 10, 100 and 1,000 - Presentation

Lesson 5 in the series on decimals takes students through the process of dividing by 10, 100, and 1,000. The lesson aims to build upon the understanding of multiplication by these factors, now applying the inverse operations. Students are prompted to consider the differences between multiplying and dividing by 10, and engage in a discussion about the changes that occur to numbers during division. Activities include using a place value chart to divide given numbers and observing the movement of counters or digits across the chart. This visual representation helps students grasp the concept that when dividing by these factors, the digits move to the right, decreasing the value of the number.

The lesson is structured with a series of activities that progressively build on the students' understanding. In the first activity, students are asked to divide numbers by 10, 100, and 1,000 and complete sentences that describe the movement of the counters on a place value chart. The second activity involves dividing specific decimals by these factors and noting the results on the chart. The third and fourth activities focus on identifying correct answers and completing a table by dividing various numbers, reinforcing the concept through repetition. Additional reasoning exercises challenge students to find different ways to make a target number using division and multiplication, and to find paths between two numbers, ensuring a deeper comprehension of the relationship between these operations and the place value system. The lesson concludes with independent work, where students apply their knowledge to various tasks, and a discussion that encourages them to articulate their understanding of the mathematical concepts involved.