Comparing and Ordering Decimals

Video Description:

Investigate the values of gold coins, pieces of silver, and even watch decimals fly through the sky as you learn the fine art of comparing decimals Won't you come along & join us as we sing & dance our way through your math lesson today!

Comparing and Ordering Decimals Song Lyrics:

I have two gold coins that are shiny and round.
One’s four hundred five thousandths of a pound;
the other weighs four hundred ten thousandths.
Which is the greater of my investments?

To order them, I looked left to right
and found the first place that was not alike.
One’s greater than zero, the greater piece I hold
is four hundred ten thousandths of a pound of gold.

Line up the decimal points vertically;
look left to right horizontally;
compare the greatest place that’s different;
the greater number will become apparent.

I found two pieces of silver digging in the ground.
One was one hundred two thousandths of a pound.
The other piece was ninety-nine thousandths.
Which one contained the greater contents?

To order them, I looked left to right
and found the first place that was not alike.
One’s bigger than zero, so of the two,
one hundred two thousandths was the greater value.

A number line can help make visible
the place value of any decimal.
Between zero and one, divide it into tenths.
In each tenth fits ten hundredths;
in each hundredth fits ten thousandths;
each place value to the right is ten times less.

Learn More

This song targets TEKS and Common Core learning standards from both 4th Grade and 5th Grade. Look into the relevant standards here, or dig deeper into Decimals here.

If you are interested in getting ideas on how to plan a robust standards-aligned Ordering Decimals lesson, we recommend checking out Instructure's recommendations for common core standards 4.NF.C.7, and 5.NBT.3 . These pages help break down standard language, lay out the grade-appropriate level of rigor for each concept, and offer a variety of suggestions for activities (lesson seeds) that help students achieve their learning targets.