Draw a line on a piece of paper that stretches from one side to the other and place an arrow symbol on each end of the line. This represents the continuum of numbers running from negative infinity on the left and infinity on the right.
Place a mark in the center of the line and label it "0." All the distance to the left of zero represents negative numbers, and all the distance to the right represents positive numbers.
Place marks for whole numbers, using the ruler, and make marks for 1/2 and 1/4 sections between the whole number marks. This allows easier placement of fractions and decimals. Use a range of -2 to +2 on the number line. This allows the student to understand the differences between positive and negative numbers and allows the use of mixed fractions.
Write a mixed list of fractions and decimals. Include in the list some fractions and their decimal equivalent as well as some fractions reducible to a simpler form that also appears on the list. Some numbers that would illustrate important points are 8/10, 0.8, 4/5, -1.5, 15/10 and 1 2/3.
Begin placing the numbers from the list on the number line. Make a mark at each point where you are placing the number and write the number above it. The mixed list of decimals and fractions that you have placed on the number line illustrates the differences and similarities of fractions and decimals.
Convert all the fractions on the list to decimal numbers and check that you have placed them in the correct order. Similarly, covert all the decimal numbers to fractions and simplify them to check if you placed them in the right location. Fractions are converted to decimal numbers by dividing the top number of the fraction, the numerator, by the bottom number of the fraction, the denominator. Convert decimal numbers to fractions by using 10, 100 or 1,000 as the denominator of the fraction and writing the numbers to the left of the decimal point as the numerator.