Place value can be a tricky concept to master. Use this strategy to help students in third, fourth, and fifth grade expand their understanding of place value as they compose (or “make”) four-digit numbers.
In the early elementary grades, students should have learned that the value of a digit depends on its place in a number. They most likely did this by composing two- and three-digit numbers.
With this strategy, students will compose four-digit numbers using manipulatives called place value disks. These place value disks (sometimes called place value chips) are circular objects that each represent 1, 10, 100, or 1,000.
For example, in the number 6,142, the digit 6 is represented by six thousands disks, the digit 1 is represented by one hundreds disk, the digit 4 is represented by four tens disks, and the digit 2 is represented by two ones disks.
Before you get started, make sure your students understand place value with two- and three-digit numbers. (You may want to use straw bundles as a more concrete way of showing place value.) Then, you can move on to this strategy of using place value disks with larger numbers.
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Place value can be a tricky concept to master. Use this strategy to help students in third, fourth, and fifth grade expand their understanding of place value as they compose (or “make”) four-digit numbers.
In the early elementary grades, students should have learned that the value of a digit depends on its place in a number. They most likely did this by composing two- and three-digit numbers.
With this strategy, students will compose four-digit numbers using manipulatives called place value disks. These place value disks (sometimes called place value chips) are circular objects that each represent 1, 10, 100, or 1,000.
For example, in the number 6,142, the digit 6 is represented by six thousands disks, the digit 1 is represented by one hundreds disk, the digit 4 is represented by four tens disks, and the digit 2 is represented by two ones disks.
Before you get started, make sure your students understand place value with two- and three-digit numbers. (You may want to use straw bundles as a more concrete way of showing place value.) Then, you can move on to this strategy of using place value disks with larger numbers.