5th grade · Math · Unit 5 of 14
Decimals
Tenths, hundredths and thousandths
What your child practices
Reading, writing, comparing and rounding decimals to thousandths, linking decimals to fractions out of 10, 100 and 1000, and adding and subtracting decimals in real situations.
Maine Learning Results learning standard: 5.NBT.A.3; 5.NBT.B.7 · reading, writing and comparing decimals to thousandths and computing with decimals
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Places after the point are tenths, hundredths, thousandths.
- To add or subtract, line up the decimal points.
- Fill empty places with zeros so the numbers match.
Example: 5.5 + 5.25 = ? Write 5.5 as 5.50. 5.50 + 5.25 = 10.75. Answer: 10.75
Decimals in Maine
In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 5 of 14 in 5th grade Math, after Equivalent Fractions and before Patterns & Equations.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Maine Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Sam's pumpkin has a mass of 3.3 kg. A friend's pumpkin is 1.79 kg. How much heavier is Sam's pumpkin?
3.3 − 1.79 = ?
answer boxkg
1.51 kg
Hint: Line up the decimal points and write zeros in any empty places (for example, 2 = 2.000). Then subtract, regrouping as needed.
Question 2
Jay ran 8.3 km on Saturday and 7.53 km on Sunday. How far did Jay run in all?
8.3 + 7.53 = ?
answer boxkm
15.83 km
Hint: Line up the decimal points. Write zeros so both numbers have the same number of decimal places, then add as with whole numbers.
Question 3
In 4.752, what is the value of the digit 2?
- 2 ones (2)
- 2 hundredths (0.02)
- 2 tenths (0.2)
- 2 thousandths (0.002)
2 thousandths (0.002)
Hint: After the decimal point, the places are tenths, then hundredths, then thousandths.
Question 4
Round 2.353 to the nearest tenth.
- 2.3
- 2.4
- 2
- 2.35
2.4
Hint: Look at the digit just to the right of the tenths place. If it is 5 or more, round up; if it is less than 5, round down.
Question 5
Put these decimals in order from least to greatest.
- 0.73
- 0.7
- 0.703
- 0.37
0.37 → 0.7 → 0.703 → 0.73
Hint: Compare place by place: tenths first, then hundredths, then thousandths. Writing zeros on the end (0.5 = 0.500) can help.
Question 6
Write this as a decimal: four and forty-six hundredths.
answer box
4.46
Hint: The word “and” marks the decimal point. The last word tells you the last place: tenths = 1 digit after the point, hundredths = 2, thousandths = 3. Use zeros to hold empty places.