Year 5 work on decimals in Maths

Year 5 have been working on decimals in maths this week. They have learnt that we see decimals all around us. Like fractions, they break down whole numbers into smaller parts. A decimal point might be small but is crucial in splitting up a whole.

Children have learnt that decimals are seen when representing money, interpreting food labels or in measurements to name just a few instances.

By Year 5, pupils need to recognise, order and work with decimals up to three decimal places. As a result, they have discussed sharing a penny into 10 equal parts! Work on number lines has required demarcation of a variety of scales.

Discussion on rounding has also had some interesting real-life relevance. For example, in buying hairspray costing £2.69 for ‘Crazy Hair’ on Red Nose Day, your parent might ask if £3 would be be enough to cover the cost of purchase! As a challenge, working to 3 decimal places, what is the smallest number that will round up to 2.69?