Grade & Topic

Gr7 Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication of Decimals

Duration

2x 60 minutes

Outcomes

Demonstrate an understanding of the addition, subtraction, multiplication and

division of decimals to solve problems (for more than 1-digit divisors or 2-digit
multipliers, the use of technology is expected).
i.e.
2.15 - 0.9 = 1.06
2.78 * 2 = 5.56
5.07 / 3 = 1.69

Objectives

Students can demonstrate procedural understanding of decimal addition and

subtraction by finding the sums and differences relating to purchasing cost
and change given
Students are able to express positive/negatives values associated with the
addition/subtraction of decimals as quantities moving in/out of a system, i.e.
as money moving in/out of a bank account.
Students can differentiate whole number multiplication from decimal
multiplication by explaining why decimal multiplication can yield answers
that are smaller than one of the initial multiples, i.e. (2)(0.9)=0.18
Using manipulatives, students can explain why addition and multiplication is
commutative while subtraction and division is not

Prior Knowledge

Students should know how to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication,

and long-division using 2-digit whole numbers
Students should be familiar with the concept of place value borrowing
Students should know that a shorter decimal doesnt necessarily mean a
bigger decimal, i.e. 0.3 is not bigger than 0.91 just because it lacks a tenth
value.

Materials

Timeline
(Day 1) 15 mins

Mini-whiteboards (for pre-assessment and formative assessment)

Class popsicle sticks (with names to draw for formative assessment)
Sticky notes (for summative assessment exit slips)
Commodities: For example, variously coloured marbles or cards from a
playing deck
Day 1 Tasks/Activities: Student Marketplace Overview

Hook: Historical overview of merchants using mathematics to account for

their net worth, and trade setting the precedent for the initial development of
mathematics
o Engage students with multimedia
o Essential question: How do we still use math today, as the
merchants did thousands of years ago?
o Students discuss the application of mathematics to economics
Prior-knowledge assessment: students are to provide change for a fictitious
shopping basket that includes items rounded to the nearest dollar
o Extension: items priced to the hundredth
o Students show their calculations individually on their mini-

(Day 1) 15 mins

(Day 1) 30 mins

(Day 1) Assessment

whiteboards
If necessary, teacher instrumentally compares decimal addition and
subtraction algorithm to familiar operations with whole numbers (borrowing
concepts, etc), providing examples and counter-examples with decimals and
whole numbers.
Student Marketplace Rules & Introduction
o Students begin with $1000 recorded in their journals, or financial
ledgers, and a randomized initial collection of commodities as
dealt by the teacher
o There many types of commodities (coloured marbles denoting
crystals, for example) that students buy and sell, motivated by
individually collecting certain types of commodities
For example, a few students try to collect all the green
marbles, while others try to collect all the red marbles,
yellow, etc.
o Students compete to complete their collections by negotiating
amongst their classmates, trading only one item at a time
Teacher sets prices for various commodities to include the hundredths place
value (i.e. $7.35, $118.37, etc)
All transactions must be recorded in students financial ledgers, and both
students must check and agree each others final entries for a successful
transaction. [Formative peer assessment]
o Commodities may be sold to increase a students cash balance,
calculated as an addition in the financial ledger.
o Conversely, commodities may be bought, and thus decreasing a
students cash balance, calculated as a subtraction in the financial
ledger.
Students begin trading amongst their peers, finding and negotiating for their
desired commodities and making entries in their financial ledgers
[Communication, formative peer assessment]
Summative assessment: exit slips are used for students to declare their final
debit account numbers at the end of class. Using the zero-sum method of
accountability, teacher can determine class accuracy by adding together the
cash value of all the students financial ledgers and comparing the value to
the initial wealth of the classroom given by n*($1000) where n is the
number of students in the class. How closely this total compares to the sum
of students exit slips is an indicator of the accuracy of the students
bookkeeping, and thus of their decimal addition and subtraction skills.
Sum-total will be required for next class, when accuracy to be discussed with
the students
Pre-assessment: students contribution to discussion of real-world applications
of mathematics with economics [Communication, Connection]
Pre-assessment using mini-whiteboards: students attempt to calculate change
for a supermarket basket full of items, challenging prior knowledge of
addition and subtraction but using decimal currency
Formative assessment: teacher checks student transactions using financial

ledgers and communication skills during marketplace activity

Summative assessment exit slips: on sticky notes have students write their
final cash balance and an example of their most difficult financial transaction

Timeline

Day 2 Tasks/Activities: Introducing multiplication and division into the

marketplace

(Day 2) 20 mins

Review: teacher uses prior days exit slips to discuss the most difficult
financial transactions, clarifying possible misconceptions
Problem-solving question: Is there any way that we, as a class, can know if
we performed the transactions correctly the other day?
o Group discussion with ideas summarized on mini-whiteboards
o Teacher starts class discussion, facilitating class toward the zerosum check method in accounting (this is how businesses check for
employee theft from cashiers by comparing the cash-out with
receipts). [Connections]
o Formative assessment: using class popsicle sticks, assess students
ability to communicate, in their own words, the zero-sum check
method
o Teacher presents findings of the zero-sum check using exit-slips from
previous class: good, bad, perfect?
o Teacher encourages peer checking to increase the accuracy of
transactions for the entire class (class prize may be used as
incentive).

(Day 2) 10 mins

(Day 2) 30 mins

(Day 2) Assessment

Teacher extends previous marketplace activity from Day 1 to include

buying/selling multiple items at once, thus requiring multiplication.
Prior-knowledge assessment: students are to find the change given for a
supermarket basket including multiples of items.
o Using mini-whiteboards, students individually display their solutions
Teacher instrumentally compares multiplication algorithm to the familiar
algorithm using whole numbers, with decimal place accounted for.
o Teacher presents examples and counter-examples, to compare and
contrast whole number and decimal multiplication algorithm.
Students are given further opportunity to trade and utilize multiplication
skills, alongside addition and subtraction.
Summative assessment exit slips: on sticky notes have students write their
final cash balance and an example of their most difficult financial transaction
Teacher to tally days total cash balance to determine class accuracy, to be
compared to previous day the following class
Pre-assessment using mini-whiteboards: students attempt supermarket
question using prior-knowledge of multiplication of whole numbers.
Formative assessment: using popsicle sticks, mini-whiteboards, and by
listening-in, teacher evaluates student contribution and communication to
solving the problem involving class accuracy of transactions via the zero-sum
accounting method.

Plans for
Differentiation

Summative assessment: students exit slips to reflect student knowledge of

decimal multiplication, addition, and subtraction by comparing class
accuracy using zero-sum method and comparing the difference to previous
day.

ELL students or students who have difficulty reasoning verbally are

encouraged to use their mini-whiteboards or manipulatives to communicate
their reasoning.
Both linear and discrete models of representation are provided to enhance
student perspective (number line and area model with blocks)
For advanced open-ended extension: What are techniques to ensure
correct transactions individually? i.e. zero-sum check with ones own
inventory and cash balance.