How to Run Math Skill Builders: Decimal Worksheet Generator

Decimal Worksheet Generator is an easy to use software tool for making arithmetic worksheets with decimal addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. You can help students learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals by making customized decimal arithmetic worksheets for homework and practice. Worksheets can have as many as 50 arithmetic problems in any combination of skill levels and operations. You can save and print the worksheets and answer keys with complete stepped out solutions. This page provides the instructions for running the program.

Choose Type of Worksheet

Automatic Mode generates problems for any operation at any skill level. You can combine different operations and skill levels on one worksheet. Automatic mode is useful for designing your own worksheets with mixed operations and levels.

Manual Mode generates a worksheet with problems that you create. You can combine different operations on one worksheet. Manual mode is useful for including problems that you specify.

Quick Mode generates a quick worksheet or a diagnostic test. Quick worksheets consist of one page, all with one operation and at one skill level. You can create a quick worksheet for any operation and any skill level. Quick worksheet is useful for quickly generating a practice sheet to focus on a specific skill. Quick diagnostics contain one problem from each skill level. Quick diagnostic is useful for quickly generating a tool for evaluating a person's current skill level in any operation.

Edit the program preferences to customize Quick Worksheets and Diagnostics.

Make Automatic Worksheet

Make Manual Worksheet

Make Quick Worksheet

Quick Worksheet
Quick worksheets are one page of problems, all with one operation and at one skill level. When you first open Decimal Worksheet Generator, it is in Quick Worksheet mode by default.
Click an Operation button ( +, - x, / ) to select the operation for the current problems.
Click the up or down arrows of the Skill Level control to select the skill level for the current problems.
Click Create Worksheet to make a worksheet with one page of problems. Change the default number of problems on a Quick Worksheet page by changing the page settings in the preferences panel.

Quick Diagnostic
Choose Quick Diagnostic to make a worksheet with one problem from each skill level. You can change the number of problems per skill level in preferences.
Click an Operation button ( +, - x, / ) to select the operation for the current problems.
Click Create Test make a quick diagnostic worksheet or placement test.

Make Answer Key

Answers
Displays the current worksheet as a problems and answers view (no solutions shown). Use this command to view the worksheet as an answer sheet.

Solutions
Displays the current worksheet as a problems and solutions view. Use this view to check the major steps of the student's problem solving in the more difficult problems. This can be used to identify where a student is having difficulty.

Answer Key
Displays the current worksheet as an answer key (no problems and no solutions). Use this view to print a quick answer key in list form, with minimum paper use.

Some toolbar and menu items are disabled while viewing the worksheet as an answer key.

Review Skill Definitions

Decimal Worksheet Generator makes problems at different skill levels. To see how the skill levels are defined choose Skills from the menu bar. The Skill Definitions Window displays a list of skill level definitions for the currently selected operation. You can change the view to also show example problems with or without solutions and the way the page is formatted and printed by choosing menu options. A printable scoresheet is also provided for record keeping.

To change how the skill level definitions are displayed select View from the menu bar to see the following:

Choose Toolbar to show or hide the toolbar
Choose Status Bar to show or hide the status bar

Choose Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication , or Division to display skill level definitions for that operation.

Choose Definitions Only to see a list of just the definitions of each skill level.
Choose Statements to see a list of skill level definitions with example problems for each skill level shown horizontally
Choose Problems to see a list of skill level definitions with example problems for each skill level shown vertically.
Choose Solutions to see a list of skill level definitions with example problems, including stepped out solutions for each skill level, shown vertically

Choose Score Sheet to get a printable page to keep a record of progress through the skill levels

To print the list of skill level definitions select File from the menu bar to see the following choices:
Print prints a document
Print Preview displays the document on the screen as it would appear printed
Print Setup selects a printer and printer connection
Close exits Skill Level Definitions and returns to the main worksheet window

Modify Display

You can customize the appearance of your worksheets. You can change the program's default format in the Edit Preferences dialog.

Choose View from the menu bar to change the following options:

Vertical displays the problems on the current worksheet in vertical format. Answers are displayed below the problem and solutions are displayed to the right. When you first open Decimal Worksheet Generator, the worksheet is in vertical format by default.

Horizontal displays the problems on the current worksheet in horizontal format. Horizontal format shows problems in a list form. It is suggested that this be used for students to practice copying problems.

Fewer Problems Per Row decreases the number of problems on each row of the worksheet. This spreads the problems out, giving more room between problems. Use this feature to give the student more room to solve problems on the printed page.

More Problems Per Row increases the number of problems on each row of the worksheet. This places the problems closer together. Use this feature to place more problems on each page, saving paper.

Fewer Rows Per Page decreases the number of rows on each page of the worksheet. This spreads the rows out, giving more room between rows. Use this feature to give the student more room to solve problems on the printed page.

More Rows Per Page increases the number of rows on each page of the worksheet. This places the rows closer together. Use this feature to place more problems on each page, saving paper.

Left Margin includes a left margin indent on the current worksheet. A left margin provides room to punch holes with a standard hole-punch, but provides slightly less room for problems and answers.

No Left Margin does not include a left margin indent on the current worksheet. This provides the most room for problems and answers, but does not leave room to punch the worksheet with a standard hole-punch.

Choose Edit then choose Header to display a dialog box with these options for the header on a worksheet:

Print name and date on worksheet?
Select this if you want the worksheet to include lines for name and date.
Print title lines on worksheet?
Select this if you want the worksheet to include the title lines.
Title line #1:
Type the first title line (appears in center of page at the top of the page.)
Title line #2:
Type the second title line (appears in center of page, below the first title line).

The program automatically generates title lines for quick worksheets and quick tests. You can change those titles, or add titles to other worksheets with the above options.

Choose Font to display a dialog box with options to change the font, size and style for the problems on the current decimal worksheet.

Font
You may choose from all of the fonts available on your computer. Please note that not all fonts will display arithmetic problems adequately. The program default font is Arial.

Font Style
You may choose from regular, italic, bold, or bold italic. The program default style is bold.

Size
You may choose any size. Please note that the larger the font, the fewer problems you will be able to put on a page. The program default font size is 12.

You can change the program's default font in the Preferences dialog box.

Edit Program Preferences

Choose Edit from the menu bar. Select Preferences to display the following options that allow you to change many of the settings you control when making worksheets. You can choose to make these settings the program defaults so that each time you start a new worksheet these settings are applied. You can also affect the layout and the font of the current worksheet by specifying these settings.

Worksheet Control

At Worksheet View choose the type of view you want shown as a default when you open the program: Worksheet, Answers or Solutions.
At Control Mode specify which mode you want as a default to make problems: Auto, Manual or Quick.
At Problem Format choose Vertical or Horizontal .

Worksheet Font
Click Change Font to change the default font settings.

Page Layout
The choices you make in this section define a default Quick Worksheet. Changes to these items change the number of problems shown on a page

Number of problems per row
Choose the number of problems you want on each row of a worksheet.
Number of rows per page
Choose the number of rows of problems you want on each page of a worksheet.
Include Left margin for hole punch?
Choose Yes if you want the worksheet printed with space left for punching holes.
Print name and date lines?
Check this if you want lines printed at the top of the worksheet where the student can write a name and date.
Print title lines?
Choose Yes if you want the title as specified in the Header printed on the worksheets.

Quick Diagnostic
Choose the number of problems you want presented for each skill level on a Quick Diagnostic worksheet. As you change the number you will also see the resulting total number of problems on the worksheet. Whenever you make a Quick Diagnostic It will automatically present the number of problems at every skill level that you specify in these preferences.

Preference Control

Apply settings to current worksheet?
Choose Yes if you want the preference settings as they appear in this dialog box to affect the current active worksheet.
Save settings as program defaults?
Choose Yes if you want the preference settings as they appear in this dialog box to apply to new worksheets by default.

Click Reset Factory Defaults to reset all program defaults to the original, factory settings.

Click Done to save the current dialog settings as the new preferences for all new worksheets and/or for the current worksheet.

Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog box without saving the current settings.

How to Save Worksheets

Use these options from the File menu:

Save saves the active document to its current name and directory. When you save a document for the first time, Decimal Worksheet Generator displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document. If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Open shows a dialog box to choose a file. Navigate to the file you want to open by clicking the folder that contains the file. Click the file you want to open, then click Open.

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name
Type or select the filename you want to open. This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.
List Files of Type
Select the type of file you want to open. Only Decimal Worksheet Generator files (*.dec) will be available.

How to Print Worksheets

The File menu offers the following commands for printing the Decimal Worksheet:

Print prints the worksheet showing on the screen
Print Preview displays the decimal worksheet on the screen as it would appear printed
Print Setup selects a printer and printer connection

How to Get Help

Choose Help from the menu bar then choose Help Topics to display the opening screen of Help. From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using Decimal Worksheet Generator and various types of reference information. Once you open Help, you can click the Contents button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.

Choose About to display the copyright notice and version number of your copy of Decimal Worksheet Generator. You will also find contact information for S&S Software here.

In addition to the Help menu you can also use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of Decimal Worksheet Generator. When you choose the Toolbar's Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark. Then click somewhere in the Decimal Worksheet Generator window, such as another Toolbar button. The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked. Use the shortcut SHIFT+F1 to get this help.

Return to the Table of Contents