TEACHING PLACE VALUE

Place value can be a difficult concept for young children to master. Knowing that numbers vary in value according to where they fall on the place value chart is a critical skill that students must master before they move onto more advanced calculations. In these pictures students are practicing building numbers with manipulatives. Each one of those orange pieces has a specific value. One single cube is called a Unit and represent 1. The Rod is made up of 10 units and has a value of 10. The Flats are made of 10 rows of rods and have a value of 100. Finally, the large cubes are made up of 10 flats and have a value of 1000. Students are given a number that they need to represent with manipulatives and then show that number on a place value chart. I would encourage you to work on place value at home. Write out a large number, for grade 3 up to 999 and grade 4 up to 9999. Have them show you where the ones column, tens column and hundred columns are. Point to a digit in side a large number and have them tell you what it's worth. For example, the digit 9 in the number 290 represents 90 because it is in the tens column. Please call or send me a note if you have any questions regarding Place Value, or any other math concept you would like to review with your child.