Use computer time as learning time with an online rounding game. Rounding online games range from simple to challenging. Young students round whole numbers while older students round fractions and decimals. In a computer age where immediate gratification is demanded, computer games are a terrific supplemental tool for the math classroom.
Draw a hill on the chalkboard, whiteboard or Smartboard. Explain that the hill is a road and a car needs to speed up the hill to drive over the bump, lest it fall backward. Number the left side of the hill zero to four. Place five at the top and number the right side of the hill six to nine. Tell students zero to four stays put while five or more drives over the hill. Assign numbers to the children and help them decide if the car will make it over the hill to the next number or stay at the bottom of the hill.
This learning lesson works well for students who are organized and who like to keep their area clean. Tell the students that numbers that do not end in zero, such as 25, need to be bumped clean to end in a zero. The students will review the basic rounding rules: one to four are rounded down and five to nine are rounded up. Give the students a list of numbers and help them bump the numbers clean.
Worksheets are an old standby for tests and busy work, but visual students appreciate the chance to see the material, especially in a math class where many concepts are taught through hearing. Give each student a time line worksheet where visual learners are allowed to physically see the numbers and move them on the number line. Other basic worksheets where students write the rounded answers next to the sample numbers will also help visual learners.