Here are four decimal cards, all jumbled up: 0.4, 0.04, 0.40 and 0.44. If we had to line these up from smallest to biggest, where would you start? Two of them look almost the same. Which two, and are they really the same size or not?
The interactive sorts three sets of decimals from smallest to biggest, one set at a time. Line the cards up by place value and watch what happens when two look different but land in the same spot.
Now we try a brand-new set together: 2.6 → 2.06 → 2.60 → 0.88. One pupil comes to the board to drop the cards; everyone else watches and gets ready to agree or correct out loud. We'll line them up by place value first, then decide the order smallest to biggest. Watch out for 2.06, where a zero hides in the tenths column, and for 0.88, which never even reaches one whole.
In your maths copy, write each set of four decimals in a column with the decimal points lined up, one under the other. Then number them 1 to 4 from smallest to biggest.
Now we work through three ordering sets, each a step harder than the last. Line the points up, then read the columns left to right. On the last set, slow down and check every column before you decide.
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