Mathematics / Year 6 / Number and Algebra / Fractions and decimals

Curriculum content descriptions

Add and subtract decimals, with and without digital technologies, and use estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of answers (ACMNA128)

Elaborations
  • extending whole-number strategies to explore and develop meaningful written strategies for addition and subtraction of decimal numbers to thousandths
  • exploring and practising efficient methods for solving problems requiring operations on decimals, to gain fluency with calculating with decimals and with recognising appropriate operations
General capabilities
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Rounding,  Subtraction,  Addition,  Decimals

Online

Four operations: Year 6 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 6 is for the topic of Four operations. Students apply knowledge of place value to add and subtract decimals, using digital tools where appropriate. They further develop whole number multiplication and then strengthen their understanding of decimals by multiplying and dividing decimals and ...

Online

Decimals

This is a website designed for teachers and students in year 5, and addresses components of the working with decimals topic. It is particularly relevant for comparison, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with decimals. There are pages for both teachers and students. The student pages contain interactive ...

Interactive

Sites2See – number for primary

Selected links to a range of interactive online resources for the study of number in Foundation to Year 6 Mathematics.

Interactive

Summing Decimals

An interactive resource in which students learn how to add and subtract numbers that have up to two decimal places.

Video

Subtracting decimals

This is a video demonstration, with audio commentary, of the procedure for pen-and-paper subtraction of decimal fractions. In the commentary, the presenter emphasises the links with the underpinning concepts of place value. Practice questions, limited to subtraction of decimal fractions involving tenths and hundredths, ...

Video

Adding decimals

This is a video demonstration, with audio commentary, of the procedure of adding decimal fractions. In the commentary, the presenter emphasises the links with the underpinning concepts of place value. Practice questions, limited to addition of decimal fractions involving tenths and hundredths, are presented with answers, ...

Interactive

Playground percentages

Help a town planner to design two site plans for a school. Assign regions on a 10x10 grid for different uses such as a playground, canteen, car park or lawn. Calculate the percentage of the total site used for each region. Use a number line to display fractions and equivalent fractions.

Interactive

Circus towers: square stacks

Work out how many acrobats are needed to form square-shaped human towers. Start by building a square tower with four acrobats: two acrobats in the base layer and two acrobats standing on their shoulders. Examine a table and graph of the total number of acrobats in the towers. Predict the number of acrobats needed to build ...

Video

Decimals and fractions

This is a video demonstration of converting decimal fractions to simplified fractions. In the commentary, the presenter highlights the relevance of understanding and applying place value concepts, including the efficiency in initially interpreting the fractional part of the decimal fraction as a single fraction. Practice ...

Online

Metric units and using instruments: Year 6 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 6 is for the topic of Metric units and using instruments. Students make connections between the metric system and decimals. The metric system is linked to the base 10 number system, in that each unit is a power of 10. The base unit represents 100 = 1 and the other units grow or decrease by ...

Video

Multiplying and dividing decimals

Learn how to multiply and divide decimals by 100. Based on this video, see if you can work out how to multiply and divide decimals by 10 and 1000. What do you get if you multiply 0.375 by 10?

Online

reSolve: Reconciliation data

This lesson prompts students to examine data from the Reconciliation Barometer report, collect their own local data and compare with the national findings. Students discuss the meaning of reconciliation, explore statements from Reconciliation Barometer report, design a survey to collect local data relating to the statements ...

Online

Fractions, decimals and percentages: Year 6 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 6 is for the topic of Fractions, decimals and percentages. Students use their knowledge of percentage and decimal equivalents to calculate percentage discounts.

Online

Mathematical modelling: Year 6 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 6 is for the topic of Mathematical modelling. Students use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving natural and rational numbers and percentages, including in financial contexts. They formulate the problem, choose operations and efficient calculation strategies, and use ...

Online

Fractions: Year 6 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 6 is for the topic of Fractions. Students develop increasingly efficient strategies for adding and subtracting fractions with related and unrelated denominators. They develop conceptual understanding by being given opportunities to estimate before computation and justify their thinking. They ...

Online

MoneySmart: It's raining cats and dogs...and chickens?

This is a year 6 mathematics unit of work about keeping pets. The unit is intended to take about 12 hours of teaching and learning time, and is recommended for near the end of the school year. It consists of an introduction, seven sets of student activities, and teacher notes. The student activities include building a word ...

Interactive

MoneySmart: helping out

This is an activity about making choices to raise money for imaginary animals called gumbutangs. Their habitat is being eradicated and something must be done to save them. The user's first choice is between two websites, one a trusted one, the other a scam site. Then they are given choices about how to raise money for the ...

Video

MathXplosion, Ep 40: Kaprekar's operation

Did you know that 6,174 is a very mysterious number? In 1949, the mathematician Dr Kaprekar from India devised a process now known as Kaprekar's operation. First, choose a four-digit number where the digits are all different. Then rearrange the digits to get the largest and smallest numbers these digits can make. Finally, ...

Video

Decimal fractions video

Use this video to explore decimal fractions, how they are represented and how we use them in day-to-day contexts.

Video

Catalyst: Small scale measurements

What units of measurements do we use to describe incredibly small things like blood cells and atoms? Watch as you are taken on a journey to explain the different units of measurement that we use to describe the very small.