Teaching place value? Elementary students need lots of practice with this critical skill. Provide opportunities for students to practice with hands-on manipulatives, task cards and games.
Place value basics
First teach the definition. Place value means that the place a digit is in determines the value of the digit. For example in 283 the 2 has a value of 200, but in 27 the 2 has a value of 20. Students need lots of practice with manipulating numbers and understanding the definition of the ones, tens, hundreds, thousands etc.
Next use manipulatives to build numbers. You can use place value blocks, chips or bundles of straws. Students need to understand the numbers in a concrete or hands-on format before they can understand the pictures or symbols that represent the numbers. Use place value task cards to practice building numbers so that students can comprehend what place value truly means.
Then review different number formats:
EXPANDED FORM-students break apart the number to show the value of each number
WORD FORM-students read the words that represent the numbers
NUMBER FORM-students read the numbers to practice their comprehension of place value
Using numbers, words and expanded form can help students make solid connections to numbers and what they really represent.
Finally play games to help motivate, engage and solidify learning!
One of the easiest games is scoot! Put the place value task cards around the room and students move as they complete the tasks. Read more about it and try it tomorrow in your classroom!
In closing, use these place value task cards to teach, review and reinforce this foundational concept!
Supporting you always!
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