Mathematics 5 curriculum guide 2015 I table of contents acknowledgements

• equivalent decimals.
[C, CN, V]
5N10.1 Order a given set of 
decimals including only tenths, 
using place value.
5N10.3 Order a given set 
of decimals including only 
thousandths, using place value.
5N10.2 Order a given set 
of decimals including only 
hundredths, using place value.
Achievement Indicators:
Strategies for comparing decimals closely relate to strategies for 
comparing whole numbers. It is important to ensure that the same place 
values are being compared. Note that with whole numbers, students 
rely on the number of digits to provide a sense of the relative size of 
numbers. That is, a three-digit whole number is always greater than 
a two-digit whole number. Emphasize that this is not the case with 
decimals. When comparing decimals, the number of digits is irrelevant; 
it is the place value of the digits that matters. Students can use place 
value, a number line, or benchmark numbers to help them compare.
Students should be able to determine which of two decimal numbers is 
greater by comparing the whole number parts first and then the value of 
each digit to the right of the decimals. 
It is important that students understand that decimal numbers do not 
need the same number of decimal places in order to be compared. One 
can quickly conclude that 0.8 > 0.423 without converting 0.8 to 0.800. 
By comparing the largest place value, students can easily see that eight 
tenths is larger than four tenths.
Some students may use benchmarks for comparison. 
Create a number line on the classroom floor using masking tape. Have 
several decimal numbers, (less than 1) on flash cards. Show the numbers 
to the class. Ask students to determine appropriate benchmarks and 
place them correctly on the number line. Giving students the flash 
cards, have a class discussion to determine where each decimal should be 
placed on the number line. As student understanding grows, this activity 
can be used with varying sets of cards with values of: tenths only, 
hundredths only, thousandths only, or a mixture of all three.
Students could also use a metre stick when ordering decimals. Metre