Learning Through Our Mistakes

In math, we have been learning about decimals. We learned how to compare and order them from least to greatest or greatest to least. So far we understand how to compare them, but we had trouble on ordering them from least to greatest. 

To improve that Mrs. Larson told her class to come into our room. When we were all settled in the classroom, the teachers gave each individual student a slip of paper with a decimal on it. Then the teachers explained what to do. They said that we had to order ourselves from least to greatest, and we got really messed up. We thought that zero and four tenths was smaller than zero and twenty four hundredths. Let’s say it was a big flop!

Then both teachers explained that zero and four tenths (0.4) was bigger than zero and twenty four hundredths (o.24). They explained it by using base ten blocks. They told us that the base ten flats would represent one whole, the base ten rods represented tenths, and that the base ten units represented hundredths. Mrs. Brennan then made the two numbers with the base ten blocks. She put four rods under the number zero and four tenths. Then she put two rods and four base ten units. Then we all understood which number was bigger and which number was smaller. Then the next time that we tried it we were a success!

Then we did an activity called Decimal War. The objective of the game is to get the bigger decimal number. We played about three or more rounds and then we Really knew our decimals.

I think that we are learning this so that when we are older we can add our money, and know how much we have because decimals are technically money. I liked how the teachers made games for us and took their time teaching us how to do it correctly.

- Denise