This teaching ppt will help your students gain an understanding of decimals through the use of a place value chart and tenths and hundredths models. The Understanding Decimal Numbers Teaching PowerPoint focuses on when decimals and zeros in numbers are necessary and when they are not.

Students will learn three concepts involving decimals that I call Invisible Decimals, Hanging Zeros, and Trapped Zeros. After years of my students struggling with the idea of decimals, I came up with these labels. They help students understand all whole numbers have a decimal at the end (Invisible Decimals), when a zero is necessary to keep in a number (Trapped Zeros) and when removing a zero will not change the value of the number (Hanging Zeros).

Why do you need this ppt when you can just throw problems up on the board and talk students through the process?

• With this tool, you will still be talking students through the process with the added benefit of being able to move around the room to ensure all students are on task while checking for any misunderstandings.
• They are also time savers because you are not stopping between each step to make sure all students are keeping up. The constant stopping makes it hard for some students to follow the process. It is too much of a distraction.
• More time will be available to allow more group, partner, or individual practice.

A note page that follows this teaching PowerPoint is available and provides the place value charts and models.