When asked to find a number between 1.4 and 1.5, one of your students responded 1.4½. Is she correct? What decimal do you think she means by this notation? How can you use the Decimal Squares model to help her write the number as a decimal?
The notation 1.4½ is not a correct way to represent a number between 1.4 and 1.5. The student seems to be using the fraction ½ to represent a decimal value between 0 and 1.
To help the student write the number as a decimal, you can use the Decimal Squares model, which uses square blocks to represent decimal values. Each block represents a specific decimal value, and they can be used to visualize and compare decimals.
To find a number between 1.4 and 1.5, you can use the Decimal Squares model to visually divide the distance between 1.4 and 1.5 into smaller increments. By doing this, you can demonstrate to the student that there are decimal values between 1.4 and 1.5.
For example, you can use the Decimal Squares model to show that 1.43 is a number between 1.4 and 1.5. The model can be used to represent 1.4 as a whole block and then divide it into smaller increments to represent the decimal values.
By demonstrating this visually with the Decimal Squares model, you can help the student understand that there are decimal values between 1.4 and 1.5 and encourage her to represent the number as a decimal using the correct decimal notation, such as 1.43.