The note
How schools teach it now
Children use place value: 0.07 is 7 hundredths = 7/100 = 7%. To turn a fraction into a decimal they make the denominator 10, 100 or 1,000 (3/20 = 15/100 = 0.15) or use short division (3 ÷ 8).
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Make matching cards: 1/2, 0.5, 50%; 1/4, 0.25, 25%; 1/5, 0.2, 20%; 3/4, 0.75, 75%; 1/10, 0.1, 10%. Turn them face down and play pairs: any two that are equal make a pair.
Worked example
Write 3/8 as a percentage.
- 1/8 is half of 1/4, so 1/8 = 12.5%.
- 3/8 = 3 × 12.5% = 37.5%.
- Check with bus stop: 3.000 ÷ 8 = 0.375.
Answer: 37.5%
Common mistakes to watch for
- Writing 0.7 as 7% (it's 70%).
- Writing 1/4 as 0.4.
- Thinking 0.125 is bigger than 0.5 because it has more digits.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Which one do you already know that's close?”
- Rather than
- “There's a trick, just remember it.”