Teaching suggestions, reinforcement games for about 3rd-5th grade
place value game
Posted by: Tonda #62793
Not only do my third graders know place value, they beg to play this game. On long strips of paper I made place value charts, making sure the commas were in place and writing the words (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.) under the blank line where a number will be placed. Laminate. With a partner and a deck of cards the children shuffle the deck and then pass out the predetermined number of cards according to how far you want them to learn place value. Hundred thousands would be 6 cards, millions 7 cards, 10 millions 8 cards, etc. Cards are face down in a pile. Face cards equal 1, aces are 0, and everything else what they say. They are trying to make the largest number possible to win (or smallest). Both players turn over a card at the same time and decide where to place it. Once placed it must ...
When I taught 3rd and 4th grade and had students still struggling with the concept of Place Value, we found that it was a language problem...they didn't understand the "term"...so, we made "Place Value Man" (I know sounds funny). We cut a "man" out of construction paper and put magnetic tape on the back. We would initially ask, "What is this?" They answer, "A man" We say "What is his value?" They say "?"... Then draw a simple scene on the board, maybe a dinner table and chairs with a wife and child (stick figures). Put place value man at the table. Again ask, "What is his 'value'?"...They say, "He is a dad, husband, etc." Continue this with other scenes (a work scene, draw a parachute coming up from his back, anything you can think of). Now they can make the connection that "Pla...
Hi, I just taught place value to 5th graders of all abilities last week. I drew a chart on the board. We talked about place value for a while and then filled the chart in together, from ones to hundred millions. The kids noticed that the "ones,tens,and hundreds" place always repeated. We began chanting "ones,tens,hundreds,ones,tens,hundreds...." over and over again. I got so tickled because some of the students were moving their bodies in their seat as if it were their favorite song. After it was APPARENT that they had "accidentally" memorized those places, I told them that they were 1/2 way there. The only thing left to do was decide what "section" the ones,tens,hundreds were in (either thousands or millions). Through investigation and silly ways we created a very simple way of...
When I teach place value, I use index cards. Each child gets a set of index cards with numbers 0 - 9 on them. (Only use a number once) Then I have them put the numbers in order as I say it. (example: one thousand, four hundred twenty - They place the numbers: 1 420 Note: space for comma.) Also, you can have them point to the number in the thousands place. Or what number is in the tens place? Or you can also use these index cards to compare numbers. The kids liked it!
Another fun thing . . . have students work in pairs or small groups. They need to roll a die. Each student can choose on their paper wherever they would like to place the number on the die. Then they continue rolling for a set amount of times, and then they compare numbers. Whoever has the greatest # (or smallest) earns a ...
I am teaching a summer school right now and another teacher shared an idea with me for working with place value. Its done as a group activity, on the board or an overhead. You draw spaces for a number (kind of like for hangman...i.e. _ _ _, _ _ _ for 100 thousand) Then have them identify what the place values are (ones, tens, hundreds, etc...) up to a million or more depending on what you want them to work on. Then, have cards with the numbers 0-9 on them and students can take turns choosing a card from the "deck" and deciding where to put it to try to get the largest number possible (or the smallest #) As the student decides, either the class or that student has to say what place value they are putting their number in. When they get the final number, they read it off correctly and t...
Many of my students don't seem familiar with place value either at the start of Grade 3. I use a deck of cards for a simple 5 minute game. Each group gets a deck of cards and I have a deck. Each person in the group takes turns of course. I ask them to pick 2 cards ( face cards and tens don't count ) while I pick 2 from my deck. I ask for a number that is - the highest, the lowest, closest to 100 or smaller than 40 etc.; you can ask all kinds of questions. The object is to beat my cards. The group with the winning answer gets all the cards. You can also get each group to add up the points they got for the game. Then record and see the winning team at the end of the week. Once they are comfortable with 2 digit numbers, the term I use, I show them how it would look on a place value mat. Then ...
Place Value Story
Posted by: Suzanne Buza-Snead #11643
What I tell my students is that we are going to war, the knights against the gladiators. The knights are the top row of numbers and the gladiators are the bottom row of numbers. They are battling over the right to the castle. Example:
708 -179 _____ (You can use smaller numbers, but for the sake of making the story more interesting, I am using larger numbers.)
The stuudents look at the problem as I model the story. I say," The war begins with the eighth knight and the ninth gladiator (the top and bottom numbers in the ones place) they begin fighting and the knight realizes that the gladiator is too powerful so I jumps on his white stallion and gallops over to the tens castle (actually gallop and make the noises..it's more entertaining) He arrives at the tens castle and kn...
place value scavenger hunt
Posted by: Angie #20219
I just did a Place Value Scavenger Hunt with my 6th graders to practice/review place value, and they really enjoyed it! I checked out several Guinness Books of World Records from the public and school library. Then, I made up clues like: Find a number that has a 7 in the millions place, Find a record that is between 500,000 and 1,000,000, Find a record that is greater than 1 million, etc. The kids worked in pairs to complete their Scavenger Hunt papers using numbers that were in the Guinness Books. This really helped my students relate place value to numbers in the 'real world.' Hope this helps you out!
My class
Posted by: JulieP #21731
I got this idea from my mentor, and it worked wonders with my lower students. I printed several numbers off of my computer, creating large flash cards. I also made a couple of comma flash cards. Then we made flash cards with each place value on it. First, I had the kids put out the place value cards on the floor, in order. Then I give them a number, like 4,562 and they use the number flash cards to recreate that number by placing the appropriate numeral under each place value heading. Then I ask, The 6 is in which place value? One of the students would pick up the place value card over the six, and read it out loud. You can also reverse this and ask which number is in the hundreds place....
Another idea, on each number that you give them, require that they write the place value above o...
Underline the digit Look next door If it's 5 or higher add one more If it's 4 or lower just ignore.
They look to the Right neighbor next door if they want to get the rounding right. Don't look to the left neighbor
Most importantly tell them why we round - to estimate and to compute with numbers more easily. Give them the example of ordering books from a book order. If parents give them $15 to spend and they want books that cost $4.95, $2.95, and $6.95, do they have enough dough?
Have kids act out rounding at the front of the classroom. Make cards with one digit on one side and make it one digit higher on the other side. Give each kid a zero card as well. Shuffle them around, asking them to round to various place values. They can...
I do something with my 4th graderson the 1st day of Place Value. I get the 12 x 18 construction paper, and cut strips (about 5 inches wide) in 3 different colors (i.e. red, green, purple). We make a place value family picture. I start with the "ones family" and we glue the red strip for the ones slot and I say how the ones in each family are the babies. Then we glue a purple strip in the tens place and they are the teenagers. The green strip represents the hundreds place and this would be the parents. Putting it as families helps the kids see that the values increase as you move across the picture. we do this for the thousands family and millions family. I even did this with decimals when I taught 5th grade last year. I hope the picture I painted is clear.
rounding
Posted by: bebe #48181
stacy, as you know the students must know their place value position really well. i always made up a silly backwards sentence to help them.. old teachers mildew big time. each front letter stands for the place value periods. after i was sure that my students mastered this , i went to rounding. i always did the same thing every time. step one.find your place value position. step two. draw a line under the place that you will keep or change. step three. draw an arrow from the boss to the underlined no. step four. if the boss is five or higher go up one.(otherwise keep the no. the same.) step five. turn the boss and his buddies into zeros, making sure that you keep the whole no. in front. this always worked for me..... good luck!!
Rounding
Posted by: Robin #30046
I teach 3rd grade - and rounding has been a challenge to many in the class - for several years. I think some of it might have to do with development...only because one day, kids don't get it...and then (as I say) some fairy sprinkled rounding dust on them one night and "poof!" - they understand it.
I teach by using a number line...but instead of it being a line, I make it a bridge. When I hit 5 or 50, I erase the spot where that number is. If the number you're rounding to has a 5 or 50, there's a hole in the bridge/number line so that they can't go back...they have to move up to the next ten or hundred. This works really well b/c they can "see" that they can't move back.
As far as helping the students remember what to round to (nearest hundred/nearest ten), I have them underline ...
Tell them a story of 2 friends who wanted to visit each other. Make up names. . .Tom and Jerry. . .whatever. Draw 10 boxes for houses. . .1st house is Tom's & 10th house is Jerry's. Tom wants to go over to visit at Jerry's cuz he's got a really great Nintendo/Sega system/whatever, so he starts out strolling down the avenue to go to Jerry's. He gets to the 3rd house and all of a sudden it starts to pour down rain! I mean buckets. . .cats and dogs (make it up to exaggerate as much as you want). So Jerry turns around and runs as fast as he can back to his house. Big question: Why did he run back to his house?
Rain lets up, clears and he starts off again. . .gets to 4th house (6th, 9th, whatever suits you for the story length). Big question: What does he do when he gets to each dif...
I actually just finished teaching rounding to my third graders. I use the acronym: UZA. I found it on the Internet...a teacher thought of it herself! It's an acronym for "Underline, Zero, Arrow".
I have them first decide which number that they're rounding to. When they find the number (for example, the hundred's place), I have them underline it. ("U").
Next, they mark through every number to the right of the underlined number, and write zero's for underneath each number. ("Z").
They then draw an arrow ("A") from the underlined number to the number to the right, and examine it, asking themselves, is this number greater than 4? If it is, add one to the underlined number, if it isn't, leave it alone. Then write the number besi...
I teach that numbers 5 and up are Power Numbers. They have the power to change the number. Numbers 4 through 0 are weaklings with no power to change. I also use the same chant with Find the number look next door,etc. They catch the power thing and it seems to make it easier for them.
I teach fourth grade, but we do place value at the beginning of the year. I played a game that allows the children to write on their desk with dry erase markers.(it wipes off...I promise:) ) I use a deck of cards and use the Ace card as the number 1 and throw out the face cards. All other cards are card value. I tell the students to draw 6 small lines on their desk(put comma between right lines) Before I start the game I tell them I want them to make a biggest number or smallest number they can make with the numbers I am calling out. I randomly draw a card and tell the students to place that number on one of the lines(let them pick) I do this until all students have their six digit number. For example, 123,456 or 986,321. I have them write their number on the board and we are able ...
Place Value Charts: To make this chart, use 18" x 12" construction paper or legal sized paper. Mark the paper into columns for millions, hundred thousands, ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. Do not write the words in the columns, but rather, make headers that the students must place in the correct column so they can build the chart on their own. (I have found students understand place value so much better when they understand what each place represents. However, they do not learn this unless asked to label the columns.)
Play this game as partners: Use a deck of cards (ace equals one and throw out the face cards). Place these upside down in a pile on the desk. The object of the game is to draw one card at a time and build the largest/smallest number...teacher decide...
Find your place
Look next door
Five or greater,
add 1 more
All digits in front stay the same,
All digits behind, zero's your name!
This works great when rounding to a particular place value. For example, if you are rounding 234 to the nearest ten, they underline the tens (3), draw an arrow to the 4, (it's not 5 or greater so they keep it), keep the 2 , you already have the three and the 4 becomes a 0. I have them do this as they say the rhyme!
:) Here's one: Find that place value, circle that digit Number to the right, underline, get it Four and under, circle stays the same Five and up, add one is the game So flex your muscles like a hero Digits to the right turn to zero All other digits stay the same Wow! You're a winner in the rounding game!
Thanks for the ideas. Connie, I copied your idea of, "The Secret Number Game" and made some more of the same, if anyone is interested. :p
The digit in the ones place is the number of sides a quadrilateral has. The digit in the hundred thousands place is the product of 2 and 3. The number in the thousands place is the difference of 10-5. The number in the tens place is the number of the continents on Earth. The digit in the hundreds place is 6x8x0. The digit in the ten thousands place is the sum of 5 + 2. What is my secret number? Say it!!
The digit in the ones place is the number of planets in the Solar System (be careful!) The digit in the hundreds place is the number of oceans on Earth. The digit in the tens place in the product of 9 x 1.
Go to www.mathwire.com. I bet you will find some good place value games there. (Actually, I already did it for you!!) http://www.mathwire.com/games/pvgames.html (games) http://www.mathwire.com/numbersense/placevalue.html (activities) http://www.mathwire.com/numbersense/morepv.html (more activities) http://www.mathwire.com/problemsolving/probs34.html (problem solving - place value)
My kids love this game: --The object of this game is to create the largest/smallest number. This should be determined before play begins. --Give a deck of playing cards to groups of two students. Take out the kings, queens, jacks, tens, and jokers. Aces will stand for one. --Give each child a gameboard...across the top of the gameboard it says millions, hundred thousands, ten thous...
I posted this below, but here's a game my kids beg to play. I call it beat the teacher. They each have a markerboard, as do I. We make a place value chart on it. I use a deck of cards, and as I turn over a card, they have to decide where to put that digit. Once it is in place, they cannot erase, even if the next card I draw is a higher number. We then compare them, and if they make a number larger than mine, theyget a point. After 3 numbers are on our board, I have them number them either from least to greatest or greatest to least.
Another "game" I do is called Order Up. I have cards with numbers printed off the computer and laminated. I tell them round one we are ordering least to greatest, and they can talk, but if they are in the wrong place, they are eliminated. Second rou...
