Fourth Grade · Math · week 33

Decimals: tenths and hundredths

Read, write, and model decimals to the hundredths place, connecting them to fractions with denominators of 10 or 100.

A decimal is another way to write a fraction with a denominator of 10, 100, and so on. The first digit after the decimal point is the tenths place, worth 1/10 each; the second digit is the hundredths place, worth 1/100 each.

Reading a decimal out loud is really just saying its fraction name: 0.7 is "seven tenths," and 0.35 is "thirty-five hundredths."

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Use a hundredths grid, a 10-by-10 grid of 100 small squares, and shade decimals visually.
  • Say the decimal name out loud as its matching fraction every time, "zero point two seven" as "twenty-seven hundredths."
  • Watch placeholder zeros carefully; 0.06 and 0.6 use the same digits but are very different amounts.
  • Point out that shading 27 of the 100 squares on the grid IS 0.27, a direct, visible connection.
Talk about it:
  • What does the first digit after the decimal point tell you? The second digit?
  • How is 0.27 related to the fraction 27/100?
  • Why are 0.6 and 0.06 different amounts even though they use the same digits?

Mastery looks like: They read, write, and model decimals to the hundredths place and connect them to fractions with denominators of 10 or 100.

Common stumbles: Confusing the value of the tenths place with the hundredths place; misreading a placeholder zero, treating 0.06 as if it were 0.6.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

FractionsSlice bars and circles into equal parts and compare them.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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