Last month we started talking about percentages in the 10-10-80 savings plan with our focus on the 10% that goes to savings. I want J to save at least 10% of all money he receives, so we’re working on how to calculate 10% of any amount.
I showed him two ways to calculate 10% last time:
- Use the 100-grid and divide the amount into 10 equal parts. $3.00 divided into 10 equal parts gives you 30 cents in each 10-block
- Move the decimal one place to the left to find 10%. $3.00 becomes $.300 or 30 cents
J got a calculator for Christmas, so we integrated it into our practice. I showed him how to find the decimal equivalent of a percentage by moving the decimal point two places to the left (10% becomes .10).
So we added another way to calculate 10%:
- Multiply the amount by .1. $3.00 x .1 = .30 or 30 cents
The first time we practiced, he wrote out the question/problem and then the answer:
- Q: What is 10% of $1.00?
- A: $0.10
This time, he just wrote a complete sentence:
- 10% of $4.00 is $0.40
We’ll be practicing again soon — stay tuned!