Fun with Place Value

Place Value comes in at a close second to subtraction with regrouping on the concepts that are the most difficult to teach to my RTI population. Often, these sweeties need a more concrete/visual/kinesthetic approach to math. So, here are a few of our favorite activities from our place value unit. I hope you find something useful for your classroom!

1. I really needed to make the value of the numbers more visual. Of course, we started out with base ten blocks and the usual stuff, but I wanted a way for them to really "see" and understand numbers in their expanded form. Before we started this, the students were reading numbers like 873 as 8-7-3 NOT eight hundred seventy-three. When they wrote that number in expanded form, they may have written 8+7+3 = 873. So, I whipped up these expanded form cards. We spent a lot of time building and deconstructing numbers. I just printed out this set on 3 different colors of copy paper. This made a HUGE difference with my students. You can grab this set for free {HERE}. 

2. Once we were rockin' and rollin' with reading numbers, understanding basic place value, and modeling numbers in different ways, we did some REAL rockin' and rollin'. We played Place Value Musical Chairs. Each student picked a numeral. We started out with 4 kids and 3 chairs. We cranked up some Christmas music and the game began. When I cut the music off, they had to sit in an empty chair representing the hundreds, tens, and ones of a number and hold up their digit card. The kid who was "out" got to choose if they wanted to ask or answer questions about the number that the other students had created. If they chose to ask, they had to come up with questions to ask the rest of the class about number. If they chose to answer, the group posed questions to them about the number. It was a BIG success! Everyone was involved and engaged! 

3. Once we had a handle on Place Value Musical Chairs, we expanded the game to include 7 kids. When the music ended, 6 kids would create two 3 digit numbers. The kid who was "out" had to compare the numbers and use his/her body to create the >, <, or = symbols. 

4. Last, we played Roll and Compare Place Value by The Primary Techie. The game uses a sound signal for students to roll a die. We used some giant foam dice. Then, the spinner lands on a place to record the number they rolled. They build two 3 digit numbers. Finally, they compare the numbers they have created. This is a great assessment and WAY more fun than a plain worksheet! You can find it on TPT {HERE}. 

These are just a few of my favorite things that are VERY inexpensive or even FREE for teaching place value. I hope you found something useful!