Party Planning with Decimals

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Fold a piece of paper so it has three columns. Label these columns "Product," "Price," and "Rounded Price."
• Select a party product from the catalog or website.
• After recording the product and price, review with students how to round a decimal to the nearest whole number.
• Review the rules for rounding up or down.

Guided practise

• Have students take turns selecting a product for you to record.
• Ask students to round the decimal price to the nearest dollar and explain the rule they used.
• After recording three products, demonstrate finding the total price using the rounded whole numbers.
• Ask students why they think rounding the decimal prices makes it easier to find the total price.

Independent working time

• Give small groups of students a piece of lined paper for recording their desired purchases. Have them write the type of celebration and the budget at the top.
• Have them create the same three columns you created earlier: "Product," "Price," and "Rounded Price."
• Provide each group with a party supply catalog or access to a party supply website.
• As students select products, circulate among the groups to check for correct rounding and reminding them of their budget.