Max Maths, Year 3, Try it, Rounding numbers to tens or hundreds

In the Max Maths Year 3 curriculum, children are taught the concept of rounding numbers to the nearest ten or hundred. To help them understand this, they are presented with the number 784 and asked whether it is closer to 700 or 800. By breaking it down into 'steps', it's shown that 784 is 16 steps away from 800 and 84 steps away from 700, making it closer to 800. However, when rounding to the nearest hundred, the rule is to round to the nearest multiple of hundred, which in this case is 800, despite it being closer to 700 in terms of steps.

Another example given is the number 750, which is equidistant from 700 and 800, being 50 steps away from each. In such cases where the number is in the middle, the convention is to round up to the next ten, so 750 is rounded to 800. To reinforce this learning, children are given exercises where they must circle the correct number that a given number would be rounded to. For tens, they might choose between 50, 56, and 60, or for hundreds, between 300, 399, and 400. These exercises encourage children to apply their understanding of rounding rules in a practical way.