Rounding decimals is a significant concept taught as part of the Common Core Standards for math instruction. Some children acquire this skill easily, but many others struggle with it. If your child is having difficulty, Decimal Rounding, a new tutorial app, may be exactly what is needed.
What the App Does-
Decimal Rounding, by iDevBooks, is available for the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod touch. While not specifically stated, it is recommended that a child have familiarity with place values (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones, tenths, hundredths, thousandths) before attempting to use Decimal Rounding. Rounding is generally thought of as a form of estimation. Is 4.2 closer to 4 or to 5? At first, kids are taught use a number line or number chart to compare the distance between numbers, but eventually that process slows them down. A faster way to compare them is to identify the number in that decimal place, and ask one important question: Is the number less than 5? If it is, round down, if it isn’t, round up.
A Settings page allows you to adjust the number of decimal places from which to round (whole numbers, tenths, hundredths, or thousandths). You can also choose the background color (black, white, or sepia-tint) and the cursor speed (slow, medium, fast).
What Fun Educational Apps Liked-
Decimal Rounding is a clear, well-designed app that can be used to reinforce the understanding of decimal places, as well as teach the process of rounding decimals. It is not cluttered with unnecessary distractions or juvenile characters. The numbers are the primary focus on the page, and the cursor line is the only object that moves. If your child moves the cursor line to the wrong decimal place, a message is displayed that prompts him to change it. Once correctly placed, this question pops up: “Is the number <5”? I like the fact that this app uses a slightly different approach for teaching rounding. Not all children learn the same way, and what works for one child, may not work for another.
For the conscientious parent who needs a supplementary math tool for teaching older kids about rounding decimals, this app provides a solid choice. As the name implies, Decimal Rounding focuses on decimals, so if your child is currently rounding only whole numbers, it will be too advanced. It is one of only a few apps in the App Store teaching this topic, and it is the only one whose sole purpose is teaching children to round decimals.
Julie Peterson is a speech/language pathologist (SLP) currently working in a school setting, serving children with special needs ages 6-14. She finds the iPad is a phenomenal tool for teaching kids a wide range of subjects, including math.
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