Place Value Exploration

Learning place value can be such a tricky thing because it's taking numbers that you are used to and breaking them apart in ways that you haven't seen before. 

The students of Room 309 were really struggling with the topic so we decided to have some fun with Place Value.

Students were encouraged to build a structure for any reason but they had to use 300 or less cubes. 

This gave knowing what each blocks amount was a purpose. They weren't just using them to solve a problem in their book anymore. They were trying to build something from their own imaginiation. Yet they still had to work within the limits that were given.

As they were working each student took a different route in counting the blocks. 

Some just built what they wanted and then counted afterwards, taking blocks away as needed. 

While others only took 300 blocks back to their seats and made what they could with what they had. 

Others counted each block and grabbed more as needed. 

No matter which route they took to build their structure each student was engaged in counting, moving and touching these place value pieces and we started hearing the academic vocabulary become something they were all using. 

"Hey can i borrow that ten place stick right there?"

"Oh no! I used to many ones, I should just trade it for a ten."

"I have ten, ten sticks so that's one hundred plus these two hundreds so that's all I can use." 

Students then had the opportunity to show their knowledge during an scavengar hunt in the classroom. 

We were working on expanded notation and how it could help us understand how many of each place value a number is holding. 

Next they worked together breaking each number down in four different ways.