We love this 5th grade question for decimals: If 8 apples cost $4.16 and 13 lemons cost as much as 5 apples, what is the cost of 8 lemons? First, here’s our suggested solution. Why do we like this question? It requires students to break apart the problem into 3 or 4 separate steps, but …
Number Sense in Decimals – Multiplication and Division Read More »
Here’s a problem in 5th grade that involves all of the following: Problem Solving Bar Modeling Dividing Decimals Multiplying Decimals Rey had 5 times as much money as James at first. When Rey gave James $12.50, both of them have the same amount of money. How much money does Rey have at first? …
Problem Solving – 5th Grade Dividing and Multiplying Decimals Read More »
Even though students generally have a good sense of place values for whole numbers by the time they start 4th grade, they may have trouble extending their understanding to decimal places when they encounter decimals for the first time. This is especially evident in the exercises on comparing decimals. The main difference when dealing with …
Fractions and decimals both serve the same purpose of describing parts of a whole, i.e. they are two ways of expressing non-whole values. Up to 4th grade, students learn fractions and decimals as separate topics and once comfortable with both formats, they should start to appreciate the relationship between the two. Why is Understanding the Relationship …
