Max Maths, Year 3, Learn together, Rounding numbers to tens or hundreds (2)

In a mathematics lesson for Year 3 students, the concept of rounding numbers to the nearest ten or hundred is explored with practical examples. For instance, when considering the number 784, students are asked to determine whether it is closer to 700 or 800. By counting the 'steps' or the difference from 784 to each of these hundreds, it's observed that there are 84 steps to 700 and only 16 steps to 800. Despite 784 being numerically closer to 700, the rules of rounding dictate that it should be rounded to the nearest hundred, which in this case is 800, the next multiple of a hundred.

Another example used is the number 750, which sits exactly midway between 700 and 800, with an equal 50 steps to each. When numbers are equidistant from the two nearest multiples of a hundred, the convention is to round up. Therefore, 750 is rounded to 800. The lesson includes interactive exercises where students are encouraged to practice rounding. They are presented with a series of numbers and must circle the correct number to which the given red number should be rounded. For example, they would need to choose between 50, 56, and 60 to determine the nearest ten, or between 300, 399, and 400 to find the nearest hundred. These exercises reinforce the understanding of the rounding rules and help students to apply them confidently.