Introduction:
In this interview, Ricardo shows that he seems to have a good understanding of place value, reading decimal numbers in the standard way and naming the tenths and hundredths columns correctly. He knows the approximate size of the number 4.26.

Comments: Text in italics
Interviewer: Text in red
Ricardo: Text other colour

Interviewer:
Could you please read out the numbers on these cards?

Ricardo:
Oh point 4

Zero point 4 is preferable. Many teachers encourage beginners to read this as four tenths.

Ricardo:
nine point seven

Correct, either this or nine and seven tenths.

Ricardo:
point one six three

Correct

Ricardo:
point oh two five

Zero point zero two five is preferable

Ricardo:
point nine seven

Correct. Many teachers usefully encourage beginners to read this as 97 hundredths.

Ricardo:
four point two six

Correct

Interviewer:
If a friend asked you to explain what this last number means, what could you say to help them?

Ricardo:
Well, its between 4 and 5, closer to 4.

Interviewer:
Could you explain more about the 2 and the 6? Do you use names for the columns?

Ricardo:
This is the tenths and...

Correctly labels the tenths and

Ricardo:
...this is the hundredths

hundredths columns