Year 5 | Decimals: Summer Block 3: Week 7 – Lesson Resource Pack

Year 5 adding and subtracting decimals lesson pack

This Year 5 adding and subtracting decimals lesson pack helps pupils develop fluency and confidence when adding and subtracting decimals with up to three decimal places. Across the week, pupils explore formal written methods, place value understanding and efficient mental strategies while solving reasoning and problem-solving tasks involving decimal calculations.

Pupils begin by adding and subtracting decimals with the same number of decimal places, using place value counters, column methods and known number facts to support understanding. They investigate exchanges across tenths, hundredths and thousandths while developing accuracy with formal written methods.

As the week progresses, pupils move on to adding and subtracting decimals with different numbers of decimal places. They learn how placeholder zeros can support accurate calculations and explore why decimal points must line up correctly when using formal written methods. Activities encourage pupils to explain their reasoning, identify misconceptions and compare the impact of place value on calculations.

Towards the end of the unit, pupils explore efficient strategies for decimal calculations, including compensation, complements to 1 and counting on to find the difference. They decide when a mental method is more efficient than a written method and justify their choices through reasoning and discussion.

What’s included

• Teaching slides modelling decimal addition and subtraction strategies
• Differentiated worksheets for adding and subtracting decimals up to three decimal places
• Reasoning and problem-solving activities exploring exchanges, place value and efficient methods
• Activities using place value counters, part-whole models and column methods
• Challenge tasks focused on spotting errors, missing digits and selecting efficient strategies
• Lesson plans with retrieval practice, misconceptions, assessment questions and clear modelling

Small steps covered

• Add decimals with the same number of decimal places
• Subtract decimals with the same number of decimal places
• Add decimals with different numbers of decimal places
• Subtract decimals with different numbers of decimal places
• Use efficient strategies for adding and subtracting decimals

Curriculum links

• Recognise and use thousandths and relate them to tenths, hundredths and decimal equivalents
• Solve problems involving numbers with up to three decimal places
• Use formal written methods and mental strategies to add and subtract decimals accurately
• Use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation

This lesson pack forms part of our KS2 maths scheme and supports pupils in building secure understanding of decimal place value, efficient calculation strategies and formal written methods through engaging and differentiated activities.