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Rounding Decimals

Fifth graders learn to round decimals to a given place by looking at the next digit and applying the round-up-at-5 rule, then check what they know.

Grade 5Rounding Decimals50 minutes1 class periodGradual ReleaseExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Find the rounding place.
  • ✓Check the next digit.
  • ✓Use the 5-rule.
  • ✓Check what you know.
Essential Question

A price of 3.47 is about 3, and 3.72 is about 4. Rounding gives a number close enough to use. How do you decide which way a decimal rounds?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Model · Interactive Tool

Rounding Check

Project this and answer each question about rounding decimals to a given place — read the explanation after each one.

🔢 Check what you know about rounding decimalsTry it
Answer each question about rounding decimals to a given place.
The Lesson · Gradual Release (I Do · We Do · You Do)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Close Enough

5 min

A price of 3.47 dollars is about 3 dollars, and 3.72 is about 4. Rounding gives a simpler number that is close enough. How do you know which way to round?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a decimal to round.
  • Ask which whole it is near.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Rounding Check

12 min

Students answer questions about rounding decimals.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Rounding Check.
  • Answer each question.
  • Read the why.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Check.
  • Read it.
3

Modify — Mark the Place

13 min

Students round step by step.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Underline the rounding place.
  • Look at the digit to its right.
  • Round up at 5 or more, down below 5.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Underline.
  • Look.
  • Round.
4

Create — A Rounding Line

15 min

Students round on a number line.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick a decimal.
  • Place it on a number line.
  • Show which mark it rounds to.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick.
  • Place.
  • Show.
5

Reflect — Which Way to Round

5 min

Students reflect on rounding.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • What digit tells you to round up?
  • Round 2.63 to the nearest tenth.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

CCSS
5.NBT.A.4

Use place-value understanding to round decimals to any place.

CCSS
5.NBT.A.3

Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.

CCSS
4.NBT.A.3

Use place-value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.

CCSS
MP.6

Attend to precision.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Place-value cards for each digit.
  • Sentence frame: “The next digit is ___ , so I round ___ .”
  • Answer one question at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with rounding to the nearest whole.
  • Underline the place and circle the next digit.
  • Round one place before the next.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Round to the nearest hundredth and thousandth.
  • Round in real contexts (money, measures).
  • Explain why 5 rounds up by convention.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🔢Place-value charts
  • 💻Rounding Check
  • 📏Number lines
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

roundto replace a number with a nearby, simpler onedecimala number that uses place value after a decimal pointdecimal pointthe dot that separates whole numbers from partstenthsthe first place to the right of the decimal pointhundredthsthe second place to the right of the decimal pointthousandthsthe third place to the right of the decimal pointrounding placethe place value you are rounding the number toround upto raise the rounding digit by one when the next digit is 5 or more
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What digit tells you whether to round up or down?
The digit just to the right of the place you are rounding to.
QUESTION 2
Round 2.63 to the nearest tenth.
2.6, because the hundredths digit (3) is less than 5.
QUESTION 3
Round 3.72 to the nearest whole number.
4, because the tenths digit (7) is 5 or more.

Create: a rounding number line.

Have students place a decimal on a number line and show which mark it rounds to, so rounding is something they can see, not just a rule. A printable rounding-decimals worksheet is in the Mathematics library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Rounding DecimalsFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Rounding DecimalsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Rounding DecimalsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: decimal, decimal point, hundredths, round, round up, rounding place, tenths, thousandths
  1. the first place to the right of the decimal point
  2. the second place to the right of the decimal point
  3. the place value you are rounding the number to
  4. to raise the rounding digit by one when the next digit is 5 or more
  5. the dot that separates whole numbers from parts
  6. the third place to the right of the decimal point
  7. to replace a number with a nearby, simpler one
  8. a number that uses place value after a decimal point

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What digit tells you whether to round up or down?
  2. Round 2.63 to the nearest tenth.
  3. Round 3.72 to the nearest whole number.
Answer key — Part A: 1) tenths · 2) hundredths · 3) rounding place · 4) round up · 5) decimal point · 6) thousandths · 7) round · 8) decimal
Part B: 1) The digit just to the right of the place you are rounding to. 2) 2.6, because the hundredths digit (3) is less than 5. 3) 4, because the tenths digit (7) is 5 or more.