Reading and Writing Decimals using Base 10 Blocks

This lesson teaches how to read and write decimals using base 10 blocks. It begins with an introduction to decimals as parts of a whole, using money as an example. The lesson explains the representation of decimals with base 10 blocks, where a flat represents one whole, a rod represents a tenth, and a small square represents a hundredth. Various examples are provided to illustrate how to read and write decimals, including exercises with shaded regions. The lesson addresses common misunderstandings about decimal numbers and explores advanced concepts using cubes to represent thousandths. By the end, students will understand how to construct and interpret decimal numbers using base 10 blocks.

What do decimals help us understand about numbers?

How is the decimal 0.10 represented using base 10 blocks?

What decimal number is represented by 5 tenths and 3 hundredths?

If you shade 9 individual squares, what decimal does that represent?

How can we represent the number 1.245 using base 10 blocks?