Free Grade 3 Comparing Decimals Lesson Plans
Free Grade 3 lesson plans for Comparing Decimals: 12 real questions with a full answer key and worked solutions. Decimals extend place value past the ones: tenths, hundredths, thousandths. Line up decimal points when adding or subtracting.
Free
Core
35 min
24
Learning objectives
Every objective is checkable, and each one maps to an activity and an assessment.
- UnderstandExplain comparing decimals
Explain comparing decimals accurately in a familiar context.
Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items
- ApplyCalculate comparing decimals
Calculate comparing decimals accurately in a familiar context.
Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items
- AnalyseCompare comparing decimals
Compare comparing decimals accurately in a familiar context.
Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items
- EvaluateJustify comparing decimals
Justify comparing decimals accurately in a familiar context.
Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items
Prerequisites
Close these gaps first — each has its own free lesson, worksheet and quiz.
How Comparing Decimals works
Decimals extend place value past the ones: tenths, hundredths, thousandths. Line up decimal points when adding or subtracting.
12 practice questions
Easy to hard, 24 marks in total. Try them first, then open the answers.
- 1.61.9 + 2.3 = ?[1]
- 2.48 − 7.7 = ?[1]
- 3.71 + 87.8 = ?[1]
- 4.74.1 − 64.1 = ?[1]
- 5.4.93 + 3.11 = ?[2]
- 6.4.98 − 1.16 = ?[2]
- 7.8.64 − 3.98 = ?[2]
- 8.1.1 + 9.92 = ?[2]
- 9.0.646 × 9 = ?[3]
- 10.0.42 × 8 = ?[3]
- 11.0.388 × 3 = ?[3]
- 12.0.065 × 6 = ?[3]
Show answers and working
1. 64.2
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 1 decimal place. Add as whole numbers: 64.2.
2. 40.3
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 1 decimal place. Subtract as whole numbers: 40.3.
3. 158.8
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 1 decimal place. Add as whole numbers: 158.8.
4. 10
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 1 decimal place. Subtract as whole numbers: 10.
5. 8.04
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 2 decimal places. Add as whole numbers: 8.04.
6. 3.82
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 2 decimal places. Subtract as whole numbers: 3.82.
7. 4.66
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 2 decimal places. Subtract as whole numbers: 4.66.
8. 11.02
Line up the decimal points. Fill gaps with zeros so both have 2 decimal places. Add as whole numbers: 11.02.
9. 5.814
Ignore the decimal: 646 × 9 = 5814. Put back 3 decimal places: 5.814.
10. 3.36
Ignore the decimal: 420 × 8 = 3360. Put back 3 decimal places: 3.36.
11. 1.164
Ignore the decimal: 388 × 3 = 1164. Put back 3 decimal places: 1.164.
12. 0.39
Ignore the decimal: 65 × 6 = 390. Put back 3 decimal places: 0.39.
Worked examples
89.7 + 52.5 = ?
- Line up the decimal points.
- Fill gaps with zeros so both have 1 decimal place.
- Add as whole numbers: 142.2.
- Answer: 142.2
3.75 + 3.18 = ?
- Line up the decimal points.
- Fill gaps with zeros so both have 2 decimal places.
- Add as whole numbers: 6.93.
- Answer: 6.93
0.921 × 2 = ?
- Ignore the decimal: 921 × 2 = 1842.
- Put back 3 decimal places: 1.842.
- Answer: 1.842
Interactive practice
Free, no account required — answer on screen or print it.
Common mistakes
What learners typically get wrong, and how to fix it.
Thinks 0.25 is bigger than 0.3 because 25 > 3.
Correction: Fill with zeros: 0.25 vs 0.30.
Lines up the last digits instead of the decimal points.
Correction: Decimal points go in one straight column.
Teacher tips
- · Use money to make tenths and hundredths concrete.
Parent tips
- · Add up prices with cents together.
Real-life applications
- · Money, measurements, race times.
Assessment objectives
How mastery is evidenced, and which standards it maps to.
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Frequently asked
- Is this Grade 3 Comparing Decimals lesson plan really free?
- Yes. Every lesson plans on FreeMathWorksheet is free to use, print and share — no account, no paywall and no watermark.
- What should a learner already know before this?
- Start with Reading Decimals, Decimal Place Value, Fractions. Each one has its own free lesson, worksheet and quiz.
- How is the lesson plan sequenced?
- Recognition first, then understanding, application, reasoning and finally mastery — the same ladder used across every free resource on the platform.
- What comes next after Comparing Decimals?
- Move on to Rounding Decimals, Adding Decimals, Multiplying Decimals, Dividing Decimals, which build directly on this idea.
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