If you have an original activity on Adding of Decimals which has worked for you in your classroom, and would like to share please use this space to enter it. Please do not use activities that are copyrighted.

Work with local currencies in situations that students find themselves in. If there are receipts examine them.

If one litre of drinking water costs 1.5 (1,5). Is this too much? What does it cost in your town?

Create an assortment of objects of different lengths, some not equal to unit lengths (keep it simple a whole unit plus .5 and/or .25 in length). Measure them and add the lengths. Use decimal format to measure and add lengths.

Use patterns to help learners understand processes. (Note please use appropriate decimal notation with your learners.)

0 , 0.0 , 0.00 , 0.000 , 0.0000 are names for the ___(Same or different)__ value.

Select 6 students and have each write one of the addition problems on the chalkboard and read it to the class (allow for variations in how these problems are read). For the seventh problem put it on the chalk board and without saying a word draw a big circle where the sum should be and ask the class what should be here?

  2.0     2.3    3.4    23.43   764.8    481.94         109.543
+ 0.0   + 0.0  + 0.0  + 00.00 + 000.0  + 000.00       + 000.000
-----   -----  -----  ------- -------  --------       ---------
  2.0     2.3    3.4    23.43   764.8    481.94        _________

Therefore - Zero added to any decimal number is ___________

Drill is a necessity in learning how to do arithmetic operations. Being able to verbalize problems and their solutions is important. Divide the class into teams (mix the teams appropriately). Have one team put a problem on the chalkboard, and another team solve it. The first team is responsible for verbalizing the problem, and the second team verbalizing the solution (maybe a third team judging which team was the clearest in their explanation).

Never ignore those few open minutes at the end of the period (or at the beginning of the period when student attention needs to be focused). A couple of mental arithmetic problems should always be handy and ready to use. "Put your paper and pencil away - add .3 to .5 to get ... - adding .3 to .7 gives .... etc. " "round the addends to the nearest whole number and add 1.3 to 1.8 to get...."

If you have an original activity on PROTRACTOR which has worked for you in your classroom, and would like to share please use this space to enter it. Please do not use activities that are copyrighted.

Who is Thomas Blundeville ?Wikipedia

What is a Dividing Engine? Wikipedia

How is a protractor related to a compass? wikipedia

If the students have not worked with a protractor; or indicate by their actions that they do not have an understanding of what the purpose of a protractor is the following activity should be used. Have several students on opposites sides of the classroom take out a piece of paper and by folding it create an angle [make sure that at least one is not huge]. After the students have completed the construction of their angle, have them color it [make sure they use different colors]. Compare the different angles.. Who has the smallest? Who has the largest? How many of the small angles make up the larger angle? … On the chalkboard draw horizontally a ray which will represent one side of an angle. Taking one of the small sized paper folded angles, and have one of the students go up to the chalkboard and copy the angle using the already drawn ray as one side of the angle. Have another student using the same angle and starting from the original draw ray construct an angle that is three times the size. “How many different angles do we have?” “ Can we name them ? [Put the names on the chalkboard]” “How big are the angles as compared to paper folded angle [On the chalkboard using the correct notation for measurement of an angle, write the number of paper folded angles after each of the identified angles]?” The paper folded angle has become our standard unit for measuring angles. “While there is nothing wrong with our paper folded angle as being the standard unit for measuring angles, the world outside our classroom has accepted another unit of measurement for an angle. The standard of unit for measuring an angle is called..... [degree]?”

If you have an original activity on RATIO which has worked for you in your classroom, and would like to share please use this space to enter it. Please do not use activities that are copyrighted.

To develop the concept of ratio several objects of varying lengths should be presented to the students so that the objects can be compared. For example, a yard stick and a foot ruler (a meter stick and a 10 centimeter ruler) - “How can we compare these?” [Many answers possible] “Which is bigger?” “How much bigger? [the yard stick is three times as big as the foot ruler. Meter stick is 10 times the big as the 10 centimeter ruler] Encourage the students to be as accurate in describing the comparison between the objects.

Have two students in the class stand up. “Who is the taller?” [writer their names on the chalk board with a check by the tallest student name] “How tall are they?” [Encourage the students to estimate in feet, inches, decimeters or centimeters] Have the estimates put under the appropriate name on the chalkboard with the unit of measure being used. Place the two dot notation for a ratio between each. “The two dots [semicolon] are read as 'to' “ Have the learners read out loud the ratios they have on the chalkboard. Since students at this age grow fast, encourage the students to actually measure their height and put the information on the chalkboard with the ratio symbol being used. Let the students know that each of these comparisons is a ratio.

“What was the ratio of the foot ruler (centimeter ruler) to the yard stick (meter stick)?” What is the ratio of the yard stick (meter stick) to the foot ruler (centimeter ruler)?” “Inches to foot ruler?” “Centimeters to meter stick?” Place the answers on the chalkboard with the correct notation, and have the class read what has been written.

Have the students list some 'facts' about ratios on the chalkboard [comparison of two objects. Ratio involves numbers. The words 'how much' are used. It can involve a measurement. Etc.] Do not define the word ratio; nor to correct the 'facts' the students have listed on the chalkboard. Ask the students if they agree with all the 'facts'? If they do not agree they need to provide examples that question the 'facts'. Let the class decide the value of what is being said. Summarize on the chalkboard what is being said and agreed upon. The students should copy the 'facts' down in their notebooks for future reference [close the notebooks, and have the students attention directed to the front of the classroom]. Erase what has been put on the chalkboard.

“When we compare, how many things must we compare?” Hold up one of the previously prepared cardboard rectangles. “What king of shape is this?” “What kind of comparisons can be made with this?” “What do we know about rectangles?” “If we refer to the long side as the length, we call the short side the...?” “Can we compare these?” On the chalkboard write LENGTH : WIDTH. Make an estimate of what the ratio is between the length and width. Write some of the estimates on the chalkboard; a couple should be turned around so that the students catch errors and correct them.

“How can we find out which is the most accurate?” [measuring] “Suppose we do not have a ruler to measure with, how can we get a better answer than estimating?” [One way is to use a piece of notebook paper and fold it so that it is as long as the width.] “Using this folded paper how long is the width?” [1] Place this information on the chalkboard FOLDED PAPER 1 : “ There are how many folded papers in the length of the rectangle?” On the chalkboard complete the FOLDED PAPER line of information. “Is this ratio more accurate than our estimations?”

Have the students take out their rulers. “Your ruler is divided into?” [inches, centimeters, etc] “What is the width and length of the rectangle?” Add the information the students find to the chalkboard list INCH __ : ___. “Is this ratio more accurate than our folder paper?” Encourage the students to make comments about the ratios they have come up with for the rectangle – estimation, paper folding, and ruler developed ratios. List the comments the class generally agree upon on the chalkboard. Now have the students open their notebooks and copy the information that is on the chalkboard.