Expanded Form and Place Value

This is a one day lesson to teach place value in expanded form using place value tents and number dice to form numbers up to 10,000.  Students pretend to be doctors operating on a number to expand it. The dice game allows students to work individually to create a standard number. This is a whole group lesson for demonstrating and practing with standard and expanded form. This could also be used for differentiated instruction for struggling students.

Weblink address (URL): 
Expanded Form and Place Value

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding
Extension suggestions: 

Extensions:

  • Use dice to show place value.
  • Students pair up and roll three dice.
  • Write the number, then roll the red or green die and add tens or hundreds.
  • Students can use the Place Value Tents to add the numbers from the dice.
  • Red, white, and green dice:
  • White—ones place
  • Red—tens place
  • Green—hundreds place
  • Folded Place Value Strips students cut strips and write numbers in the empty spaces to exchange hundreds for tens and tens for ones.
  • Have students add a digit (4) to the hundreds place. What number are we adding? (400)
  • What is the difference in adding a 4 to the hundreds place or adding a 4 to the number?

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • Anno’s Magic Seeds, by Mitsumasa Anno
  • Place Value Tents (pdf) (made from cardstock)
  • Math journal
  • Pencil
  • Place Value Strips (pdf)
  • Dice—three per two students: red, white, and green

References

Contributors: 
Katie Sumner
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation