Mathematics
Intermediate
50 mins
Teacher/Student led
Learning Goals
Learning Outcomes
Lesson Files
+80 XP
What you need:
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Converting Fractions to Decimals

Learn how to convert any fraction into its decimal form by treating it as a division problem. Discover which fractions give tidy, stopping decimals and which ones run on forever.

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    1 - Getting Started ~4 mins

    Key point

    Illustration for Getting StartedThere is a division hiding inside every fraction. Can you spot which two numbers we would divide to turn 3/4 into a decimal?

    You have written three quarters as 3/4 plenty of times. But how would you write the very same amount as a decimal?

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +5 XP

    2 - Watch and Notice ~9 mins

    A fraction is a division: the top number goes in, the machine divides by the bottom number, and a decimal comes out. Watch the working for each one and notice where the division stops exactly and where it never finishes.

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +10 XP

    3 - Try It Together ~9 mins

    Key point

    Today we work through four fractions together, feeding the top number into the divide machine and reading the decimal that comes out: 7/10, then 1/4, then 3/5, then 1/6. Predict 'stops or runs on?' before each reveal.

    Send the top number through the divide machine

    +15 XP

    4 - Set It Out in Your Copy ~4 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, set out each of these fractions as a short division, top ÷ bottom, and write the decimal answer beside it. Underline any decimal that runs on forever.

    • 3/4
    • 1/8
    • 2/5
    • 1/3
    +10 XP

    5 - Class Challenge ~9 mins

    Key point

    Today we crack these one at a time: feed each fraction's top number through the divide machine to reach its decimal. We start with 7/10, then 5/8, then 3/5, then 1/4, then 1/6. Predict the decimal before each reveal, then check it on the board.

    Convert each fraction to a decimal

    +15 XP
    Pupil practice
    Module 3 · Fractions, Decimals and Percentages Number
    Lesson 35 · Converting Fractions to Decimals
    Download Activity Book page (PDF)
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