Comparing and Rounding Decimals

5th Grade MathPlace Value and Decimals4 pages

About this worksheet

Comparing and rounding decimals to thousandths for 5th grade math (Common Core 5.NBT.3.b and 5.NBT.4). Eight comparison blanks open the sheet, with equal-value traps such as 8.60 versus 8.6 mixed among genuine inequalities like 12.008 versus 12.080. A table then rounds 4.386, 17.925, 0.648 and 8.054 to three places each. The Race Day section orders four sprinters separated by thousandths of a second, and a mystery-number puzzle asks for decimals that round to 6.48 while keeping an odd thousandths digit.

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$Comparing and Rounding Decimals: Place Value and Decimals - page 1$

$Comparing and Rounding Decimals: Place Value and Decimals - page 2$

$Comparing and Rounding Decimals: Place Value and Decimals - page 3$

$Comparing and Rounding Decimals: Place Value and Decimals - page 4$

Curriculum objectives covered

5.NBT.3.b

“Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.”

Questions 1 to 8 record comparisons with >, =, and < symbols, and question 13 applies the same digit reasoning to rank the four race times.

5.NBT.4

“Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.”

The question 9 to 12 table rounds to three different places per number, and questions 15 and 16 reason about which thousandths round up to 6.48.

What's inside this worksheet

Part 1: Compare the Decimals

Students write >, <, or = for eight pairs, including 0.47 versus 0.407, the equal pairs 8.60 = 8.6 and 5.430 = 5.43, and the digit-order test 0.063 versus 0.603.

Part 2: Rounding Table

Four numbers (4.386, 17.925, 0.648, 8.054) each get rounded to the nearest whole, tenth and hundredth, so 0.648 becomes 1, 0.6 and 0.65 across its row.

Part 3: Race Day Order

Four 100-meter times differ only in digit order: Maya 12.308, Jordan 12.038, Carlos 12.380 and Sam 12.083 seconds. Students rank the runners from fastest to slowest, and a follow-up rounds a time to the nearest tenth.

Part 4: Decimal Mystery Number

Clues describe a three-decimal number between 6.45 and 6.50 that rounds to 6.48 with an odd thousandths digit. Students list two candidates, then explain why 6.485 is disqualified: it rounds up to 6.49.

How teachers use it

Spotting the longer-is-bigger myth

Questions 3 and 6 pay for the whole sheet: students who mark 8.60 > 8.6 still believe extra digits add value. That misconception is worth a whole-class minute before moving on.

PE or sports-day crossover

Run Part 3 right after timing actual sprints. Swapping Maya and Jordan's digits (12.308 versus 12.038) shows why the hundredths place decides races.

Puzzle starter

Part 4 works as a do-now. There are five valid mystery numbers, so ask each row of the class to find a different one and prove it rounds to 6.48.

More 5th Grade Math worksheets

Operations with Fractions Measurement and Data Geometry Order of Operations

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