Introduction
Introduce place value concepts and activities using a PowerPoint (or Prezi, or video) and discuss why this topic is important and the role it plays in math. Examples of place value increasing with higher numbers can be shown, as a visual aid for students. Additionally, introduce the idea that understanding place value will help them with various topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and ask the class what they already know about place value.
Lesson Outline
• Review Ones, Tens, and Hundreds place values and discuss what each means in terms of numbers
• Show how to use an expanded form to represent numbers and practice using it on the board
• Introduce Numbers in the Thousands place value and discuss what this means in terms of numbers
• Demonstrate increasing and decreasing numbers in an expanded form
• Have students complete a worksheet that helps practice and reinforce these concepts (see resources listed below)
Questioning
• Ask questions to gauge understanding such as: What is expanded form? How can you use this to represent and work with numbers? What do the numbers in the thousands, hundreds, and tens place values represent?
Assessment
• Assessing student understanding can be done through observation, or by having students complete a short, tiered assessment that covers the objectives of the lesson (i.e. questions with multiple Answer choices, multiple choice, fill in the blanks etc.).
Differentiation
• Tailor the learning activities based on individual student needs. For instance, a student that is having difficulty grasping the concepts can benefit from activities such as tactile learning (e.g., using Unifix cubes to match amounts of the different place values), physical activity (e.g., using flashcards to reinforce memorizing place values) or video games (e.g., online games to practice selecting the correct place value for numbers).
Plenary
• Wrap up the lesson by having students explain what they now understand about place value and its importance in mathematics. Additionally, ask students to demonstrate some of the skills they have learned (e.g., by solving a problem using expanded form) or to draw an illustration of how they can use place value in everyday life.
Resources
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqG3qfsHDko
• Worksheet: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/place-values/place-values-basics_WVNRL.pdf