If we drew a long line on the board from 0 to 1 with no tick marks on it at all, where would 0.5 go? Right in the middle? Closer to one end? Talk it out for a moment.

And what about 0.7? 0.34? 0.085? Every decimal lives at one specific point between two whole numbers, and today we will find each one.

Watch five pre-placed number lines on the board. As each one comes up, look at where the decimal lands between the ticks. We will read each one together and talk through what we see.

The first three put 0.7, 0.34 and 0.085 all on the same 0 to 1 line. Notice how each one needs a more precise position than the one before. The fourth shifts to a 1 to 2 line for 1.6 and 1.85, reminding us that decimals also live between bigger whole numbers. The fifth is the surprise: 0.5, 0.50 and 0.500 all mark the same spot.

Today we work together on a 0 to 1 number line with tick marks every 0.1 and finer marks every 0.01. I call a decimal; one of us comes up to slide the marker on the board; the rest of us check by counting tick marks together.

Today's bank climbs from a clean tenth (0.7) through a hundredth (0.34) to a thousandth (0.085), then finishes with a search: find any decimal between 0.4 and 0.45. More than one right answer to that last one. The activity shows ✓ or 'not yet' after Check, and the same four problems rerun at home as tonight's homework.