An AskERIC Lesson Plan
AUTHOR: Morgan Cottle; Ashland, OR
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 2-4
OVERVIEW:
This is a lesson in place value that never fails to build excitement and generates groans of disapproval when it is time to quit. The level of difficulty can be varied based on the grade level and time of year.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this lesson is to build the students knowledge of place value utilizing a more hands on "thinking approach."
OBJECTIVES: a07
Using prediction strategies, the students will show the ability to order digits to create the highest or lowest possible number.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Each student needs a copy of a game sheet and writing utensil. The teacher needs to have a copy of the games sheet on the overhead and a dice. I use a big dice, 4" X 4", made from a coffee cup gift box.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
Each student will have a piece of paper that is divided into columns and rows. The number of columns dictates how far you want the place value lesson to go, 5 rows goes into the tens of thousand, 3 rows into the hundreds. The number of rows dictates the number of games to be played. The teacher has a student roll the dice to see which is the first digit that needs to be placed. Once the digit is revealed, the student needs to decide where that digit should be placed. If the goal is to create the highest number into the hundreds and the first digit rolled is a 1, I would hope the student would not place it into the hundreds column but into the ones column instead. Once all the students have written down where that first digit is located then another student rolls the dice for the next number, and so on until all the needed digits have been rolled. When it is completed ask for someone to tell you what the highest possible number could have been, and see how many created that number. It is fun for the students to see if the teacher created the number too! This works well for the lowest possible number also.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
As the year goes on I vary this lesson to include creation of multiplication problems and division problems. This is a good follow up activity to a more hands on introduction of place value. While the students are getting more practice in place value in a game like setting, the students who do not relate well to competition will still succeed by playing along and watching the other students volunteer information.
May 1994
These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.
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