Ms. Rachel Vincent

A Teaching Blog

Rounding Strategy + A Free Printable

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So we have been plugging away at place value and last week we tackled ROUNDING!
Is it just my students, or is rounding sometimes hard for kids to grasp?
I use many strategies to help my kiddos with rounding 
but this is usually the first strategy I teach.
It starts with a story, because who doesn’t love a story!
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.

I tell them that numbers don’t like to just hang out on a line.  
They actually LOVE to ride roller coasters!  
I draw the number roller coaster on the board.
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.
Then, of course, the story has a plot twist and the roller coaster loses electricity!! 
We talk about gravity. 
(insert teachable moment here) 
I love it when I can squeeze one in!
We discuss how the numbers 1-4 would fall back to the starting point and numbers 6-9 would fall forward to the next 10/100/1000….you get the idea!
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.
Then we talk about the number 5.  
Since it’s halfway in the middle….it gets to lean forward and go down the roller coaster!
We usually hold our hands in the air and pretend to ride the coaster!
I’ve actually taught this “trick” for several years but this year 
I made rounding roller coasters for the students to use!  
They really loved them!  
I laminated them so students can use dry-erase markers on it.
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.
 As you can see, my little sweeties were rounding to the 100’s place.  Still works!
(don’t mind her middle finger…lol!  Didn’t realize this till after I took the pictures)
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.
It also includes a couple of worksheets to practice rounding! 
A rounding strategy to teach your students how to round numbers using a roller coaster with a free graphic organizer and printables.
My kiddos have finally grasped the concept of rounding with this technique!

What rounding strategies do you use?

  • Rachel

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    Comments

    1. The Fabulous Life of an Elementary Teacher says

      I just downloaded the Rounding Roller Coaster and left feedback – what a great resource! I'm headed to copy and laminate now while my kids are in science 🙂 I'm also your newest TPT follower!
      Lacey
      The Fabulous Life of an Elementary Teacher

    2. Deb Hanson says

      LOVE IT! I've used the roller coaster analogy for years, but I've only drawn the roller coaster on the board, and had kids refer to it. I like how this allows students to have a personal visual at their desk! Good luck with TpT! (Feel free to let me know if you have any questions with anything!)
      ~Deb
      Crafting Connections

    3. Barton's Buzz says

      I love this idea! I downloaded it, gave feedback, and am following your store. 🙂 Thank you!
      -Lisa
      Grade 4 Buzz