Year 5 Teaching Sequence Spring 1 – Place value of decimals (three days)
Prerequisites:
 Understand decimal notation for tenths and hundredths in context e.g. length, converting 125cm to m (see Year 4
spring teaching sequence 1 and oral and mental starter banks 1 and 2)
 Order numbers with one and two decimal places and place them on a number line (see oral and mental starter bank 1)
Overview of progression:
A place value chart is used to combine numbers to make four-digit numbers with two decimal places. Children fill in missing
numbers in addition sentences such as 1 + 0.5 + □ = 1.58. They use their knowledge of place value to ‘zap’ particular digits
using a calculator and record the corresponding subtractions, e.g. 3.56 – 0.5 = 3.06. Children play a game making the largest
and smallest three-digit numbers with two decimal places using digit cards. They begin to add and subtract 0.1 and 0.01 to
and from numbers with two decimal places.
Note that at this stage children may find it difficult to add 0.1 to numbers such as 3.97 and 0.01 to numbers such as 5.69
or subtract 0.1 from numbers such as 4.05 and subtract 0.01 from numbers such as 5.5.
Watch out for children whose knowledge of place of numbers with two decimal places is weak and so think that 1.75 is
greater than 1.8 because 75 is more than 8.
Watch out for children who write 0.3 as 0.30 - they correctly see this as equivalent to 30 hundredths but incorrectly add a
zero as we do in money, e.g. £0.30.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5 Maths TS1 – Spr – 3days
Objectives:
 Use decimal notation for tenths and hundredths
 Understand what each digit represents in numbers with one and two decimal places
Whole class
Group activities
Paired/indiv practice
Resources
Display a place value chart showing whole
numbers, tenths and hundredths (see
resources). Ask chn to describe each row.
What happens to the digit 5 as each number is
multiplied by ten? And when numbers are
divided by ten? Write the number 25.89 on
the board. Point to each digit and say what
each represents. I can make this number by
pointing to four numbers on the place value
chart. What is the biggest number I would
point to? And the next biggest? And then?
Write 20 + 5 + 0.8 + 0.09 on the board as a
record.
Ring a number on each line and ask chn to
record the total on their whiteboards. Rub out
the rings (or use a different colour) and ring
four different numbers.
Repeat but this time ringing only three
numbers, missing out a number on the tenths
row. How do we show that there are no
tenths? Repeat, this time missing out a number
from the hundredths row. We don’t need to
write a zero to show that there no
hundredths.
Group of 4-5 children
I’m thinking of a number. I add 0.05 to it and
get 0.25. What was my number? Write the
addition.
I’m thinking of a number. I add 0.1 to it and
get 6.19. What was my number? What
addition can you write?
Repeat, and then ask children to take it in
turns to think of a number and add a multiple
of 0.1 or 0.01 to it.
Easier: Begin with whole numbers and add
tenths, or tenths and add whole numbers,
before moving onto numbers with two decimal
places.
Harder: After a few times, also add in
examples such as:
I’m thinking of a number, I add 0.1 and get
0.25, what was my number? I’m thinking of a
number, I add 0.01 and get 9.76. What was
my number?
Chn complete place value
number sentences e.g. 1 +
0.5 + □ = 1.58 (see
resources).
Easier: Most sentences have
the empty box after the
equals sign (see resources).
Harder: Some additions
have two empty boxes (see
resources).
 Place value
chart (see
resources)
 Activity sheets
(see resources)
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5 Maths TS1 – Spr – 3days
Write the following subtractions on the board:
3.65 – 0.6, 3.65 – 0.05, 3.65 – 3
Work on each in pairs and write the complete
subtraction sentences on your whiteboards.
Take feedback and discuss how children
worked out the answers. Ask chn to work in
pairs to write similar sentences for 7.89.
Write 4.56 on the board. What is each digit
worth? So if we wanted to get rid of the digit
5, what would we subtract? 5? Why not? And
how would we get rid of the 6?
Repeat with 4.65.
Shuffle a pack of 1-9 cards, and take out
three cards. What is the biggest number with
two decimal places that we can make with
three cards? And the smallest? Record the
inequality, e.g. 5.43 > 3.45. Repeat this time
asking children to record the largest and
smallest possible numbers on their
whiteboards.
Write the following on the flipchart:
.
> .
Shuffle the pack of 1-9 cards, and take out a
Group of 4-5 children
I’m thinking of a number. I subtract 0.5, I
end up with 2.07. What was my number?
Write 2.07 on the board to help children.
Write the subtraction.
I’m thinking of a number. I subtract 0.05, I
get 3.4. What was my number? I’m thinking
of a number I subtract 8, I get 0.25. What
was my number? What subtraction can we
write?
Easier: Begin with whole numbers and add
tenths, or tenths and add whole numbers,
before moving onto to numbers with two
decimal places.
Harder: After a few times, also add in
examples such as:
I’m thinking of a number, I subtract 0.1 and
get 0.15, what was my number? I’m thinking
of a number, I subtract 0.01 and get 9.74.
What was my number?
Group of 4-5 children
Use a counting stick to support counting on
and back in steps of 0.01 from 0 to 0.1, then
from 1 to 1.1, and then from 1.9 to 2. Write
2.25 on the board. What is one hundredth
more than this number? Which digit will
change? What is one tenth less than this
number? Which digit will change?
I’m thinking of a number I add 0.01 to it and
I get 4.76. Write 4.76 on the board. What
was my number?
Write the following
numbers on the board:
2.35, 4.59, 5.43, 9.35, 0.56,
3.5, 3.05, 3.55, 5.35.
Children use a calculator to
‘zap’ the digit 5 in each
number. They write the
corresponding subtraction
sentences, e.g. 2.35 – 0.05 =
2.3
Harder: Children ‘zap’ 3 and
5 in one step for those
numbers which have both
digits.
 Calculators
Chn work in pairs to play the
game as in the whole class
teaching. They record the
inequality they made whilst
playing the game, and also
the inequality with the
biggest and smallest number
possible.
Easier: Chn draw three
digits and use them to make
the largest and smallest
 1-9 digit cards
 Counting stick
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5 Maths TS1 – Spr – 3days
card. Where shall we put this card? In the
bigger number or the smaller number? In the
ones, tenths or hundredths? Repeat drawing a
card (without putting them back) and
discussing where to place it until each of the
six boxes is filled. Did it work? What other
‘greater than’ statement could we have made
with these cards? Move the cards round to
show different inequalities.
Repeat with
.
< .
. .
I’m thinking of a number. I add 0.1 to it, I get
5.47. Record 5.47 on the board. What was my
number?
Repeat with similar questions.
Easier: Begin with one place decimals, adding
and subtracting 0.1 first.
Harder: Include examples such as 0.01 more
than 2.59. After a few examples ask children
to think of mystery numbers with two
decimal places add/subtract 0.1/0.01 and ask
the rest of the group to guess their number.
numbers that they can with
two decimal places. They
record the inequality.
Harder: Chn use 0-9 digit
cards, and so have to make
decisions about where to
place zero.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5 Maths TS1 – Spr – 3days